Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984)
| Full name | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Roughnecks Necks | ||
| Founded | November 15, 1977 | ||
| Dissolved | July 17, 1985 | ||
| Stadium | outdoor: Skelly Stadium (40,000) indoor: Tulsa Assembly Center (8,900) Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion (5,883) | ||
| League | NASL | ||
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The Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) were a North American Soccer League (NASL) team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. It played its home games at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The team, previously Team Hawaii, moved to Tulsa after the 1977 season. In 1983, Alex Skotarek became general manager and led one of the lowest-budgeted teams in the NASL to a championship, defeating Toronto, 2–0, at Soccer Bowl '83.
Shortly after the Tulsa Roughnecks victory of the 1983 Soccer Bowl, President Ronald Reagan sent congratulatory remarks to the team as they carried the trophy in a celebration parade through downtown Tulsa. The Roughnecks still stands (as of 2024) as the only major professional team from Oklahoma to win a championship.