John Carbray

John Carbray, April, 1977

It might be strange to think of a franchise that only had a life span of 7 years as having two tenures, but that was the case of the late, great Washington Diplomats. 

During their first three years of existence, the Dips struggled to present an image of a major sports franchise, playing the vast majority of their home games at Woodson Stadium, a high school facility in suburban Virginia. The man who brought the team out of the doldrums of suburbia and placed them on Washington’s biggest athletic stage is John Carbray. His conception of what soccer in the District could be, as opposed to what it had been, galvanized the franchise.

Steve Danzanky, team owner and president, knew he had found someone special in Carbray when searching for a new general manager in the autumn of 1976. “We were at Woodson (High School) and looking to move to the next step. Phil Woosnam (NASL Commissioner) told me about a guy in San Jose who was turning NASL soccer into a happening.” That guy was John Carbray, who was the GM for the San Jose Earthquakes. "We called John, he came to DC and I introduced him to some of the board members." The team interviewed more than 15 candidates during the search process. "John had a vision that if you play in a small-time venue, you give the appearance of being small-time."

Carbray left a career in
baseball for the NASL.

Team management was instantly sold on Carbray's vision. "I got the best and I'm tickled to death about it," Danzansky told the Washington Post at the time. "He (Carbray) is a pro and he believes in making sports events a fun bargain for people." Carbray, who had turned down offers from five other NASL clubs and one from the San Francisco Giants in order to transform the Dips, was equally sold on his new employers. "I decided to go with an ownership that realizes it takes talent, a good stadium and solid ownership to make a professional sport franchise really take off."

Carbray officially took the reins on Monday, October 3, 1977, and immediately set out to change the franchise's image. On December 22, the team announced it would play all home games at RFK Stadium, leaving their old humble abode in Northern Virginia. "Whatever city you're in, you've got to play in the best facility available to be truly in the major leagues," Carbray said. "It's very hard to project the image of a major league team if people ask where you play and you say at a high school." On the same day Steve Danzansky announced the team's first TV deal, in which five road games would be televised on WTTG, now known as Fox 5 Washington. A radio deal was completed with WTOP, 1500 AM, to broadcast all games.

Carbray designed the classic Dips jerseys, perhaps the team's most enduring legacy.

Aesthetically, Carbray personally redesigned the Diplomats conservative uniforms and primary color scheme from navy blue and white to a flashy red, white and black coupled with a new logo. Collaborating with Angelo Anastasio, an Adidas representative from Los Angeles, several different versions were created and scrutinized. Carbray wanted to honor Adidas and their relationship with the NASL, thus the tri-stripes across the chest and trefoil logo dotting the letter I. 

In February of 1977, Carbray officially changed the emphasis of the team name from Diplomats to Dips. The local press used the circumstance as fodder whenever they could, but it caught on instantly with fans. "It's easier to yell, 'Go Dips' as opposed to 'Go Diplomats'," Carbray reasoned.

Carbray combined an innovative sports mind with a P.T. Barnumesque flair to make the summer of 1977 the most attended season in franchise history at the time. In an era when it was unheard of for a professional sports team to televise home games, the Dips GM did just that. John Feinstein described Carbray's local broadcast of the Dips vs San Jose Earthquakes game at RFK Stadium "a major departure from professional sports tradition." This idea was the forerunner of the Comcast and MASN type networks that thrive today. 

The 1977 Dips lacked rhythm and consistency on offense. They were shutout eight times and scored a modest 31 goals in 26 games. Heading into a July 4 match against the Rochester Lancers, the team had lost seven of their last eight games, during which they only found the back of the net five times. With his genius for showmanship, Carbray turned the evening into part soccer, part exorcism (see right). How much supernatural help the team received is unknown, but the Dips won, 1-0.

Carbray continued to remold the franchise during the off-season prior to the 1978 campaign. His most important decision was hiring Gordon Bradley, who would lead the team to the playoffs each year while he was in DC, as the new head coach. The two would build the '78 roster into one that was respected league wide. Additionally, Carbray again demonstrated his creativity in promoting and enhancing the soccer experience for Diplomats fans. He implemented a multicolored field to augment the games visual appeal, painting the penalty area red, the goal box black and a ball at midfield. "When you walked into the stadium, it just looked fun already," Carbray's wife Diane recalls.

The field at RFK: The picture at left shows the pitch before Carbray's innovative and colorful modifications.



Musically speaking, the summer of 1978 in America belonged to Andy Gibb's Shadow Dancing and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. In Dips country, however, it was a Carbray tune that ruled the airwaves. Elliott Dannenberg's ad agency created, at Carbray's behest, a jingle that was heard on local radio ads and Dips games as the team took the field, Get Your Kicks With the Dips. 

The franchise continued its ascent under Carbray during the 1979 season. The addition of Don Droege, Joe Horvath, Bob Iarusci and the return of Alan Green, who remained in England during the 1978 season, helped the Dips achieve a club best 19-9 record. In just three years Carbray transformed the Dips from an afterthought on the DC sports scene to a NASL contender and source of pride and entertainment for tens of thousands in the national capital area.

The relationship between Carbray and the Danzansky family was instrumental in this transformation. Joseph Danzansky, father of team president Steve Danzansky, took Carbray "under his wing," without intruding on his role as GM. In turn, Carbray "respected how the Danzansky's were, and still are, giants in the community." Steve Danzansky describes Carbray as, "a great guy with a big heart. I have nothing but respect and admiration for John and his family."

Grateful thanks to the Carbray family and 

Steve Danzansky for their help with this piece.

John Carbray, Dips GM, Passes at 80

John Carbray, who did so much for the NASL, passed yesterday. Mr. Carbray's influence on soccer in the Washington,DC, area cannot be overstated. His son, Dave, posted the following on social media. "It is with a heavy heart and a sense of relief that I let you know of the passing of my father John L. Carbray after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He was a great father, husband, promoter and friend to many. His contributions to the sports and entertainment industry were many but at his core he loved the fans and never forgot where he came from. My brother Kyle and I are proud of our Dad and along with his wife Diane thank you in advance for your thoughts as we mourn. A lifelong baseball man has rounded third heading for home." https://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2015/05/john-carbray.html

The Last Dip Days of Steeley & Cannell

Steeley and Cannell, 1979.

In August, 1980, Washington Post beat reporter John Feinstein described that season as a soap opera and proposed the name, “Days of Our Diplomats.”

The drama that lingered throughout the 1980 campaign had first leered its ugly head the previous year. An article appeared in the Post, authored by Feinstein, on August 5, 1979, entitled Early Trades Seen for Steele, Cannell, in which both players (Jim Steele and Paul Cannell) made clear their expectation that they would not be with the team much longer, and perhaps they would be better off for it.

“I want to get out of here,” Steele curtly stated after practice on August 4, 1979. “When the season’s over, I want to play someplace else.” One of Steele’s main reasons? “I don’t want to play on a team run by John Carbray,” the Diplomats General Manager.

Paul Cannell seconded his teammate and drinking partners sentiments. “John Carbray has been out to get me for a while because he doesn’t think I take the game seriously. I like to party as much as anyone but I take the game seriously. I’d never do anything to hurt this team.”

Carbray had advised Head Coach Gordon Bradley to trade Cannell and Steele at the end of the 1978 season. However, Bradley felt that Steele was his best natural leader, and wanted him to return for the 1979 campaign.

After their comments of August 4, Bradley was singing a different tune. “Any player who wants to be traded I’ll trade,” Bradley stated. “But I’ll trade them when it suits me. Not when it suits them.” According to team insiders at the time, Bradley had already made up his mind to trade the duo before making those comments.

“Gordon feels they’ve let him down. What’s more, he thinks they’ve become a divisive force on the team. Some players side with Paul and Jimmy and some don’t even want to talk to them.” It might be easy to see why Bradley felt that way. He had often told reporters that, “Jimmy knows more about soccer than anyone on the team.”

This photo sums up Bradley & Cannell's
relationship in August, 1979.

Cannell’s disdain for the coach and general manager did not spoil his view of Washington or it’s fans. Feinstein noted that Cannell had often said that one of his main goals in life “is to see RFK Stadium filled for a Diplomats’ game.”

“I love this city, I love the people and everything about it,” Cannell explained. "But if I’m not happy with my soccer I’m not happy. And right now I’m unhappy about my situation here."

On Sunday, August 19, 1979, the Dips faced a do or die match in their playoff series with the Johan Cruyff-led Los Angeles Aztecs. Instead of focusing on the game, the Dips were airing grievances against each other. A second article in the Post read more like tabloid fodder rather than a pregame analysis.

“There’s a lot of little problems, what normally would be petty problems, but right now they’re amounting to more than that,” Gordon Bradley confessed.

Some of those “little problems” included:

• Kenneth Mokgojoa’s frustration at not having started a match all season and not playing in the final regular season match against the Cosmos in New York. As a result of this snub, he declined to travel to Los Angeles for the Dips playoff opener, a 3-1 loss to the Aztecs in the Rose Bowl. 
•          Criticism by the defenders who played in the series opener that the midfield did not do enough to help out defensively in the face of the Aztecs aggressive offensive game plan.
•          British players complaints about Sakib Viteskic, of whom Steele stated, “his next tackle will be his first. The problem with Sak is he never makes a mistake. It’s someone else’s fault.”
•          Paul Cannell’s playing status. He had been moved out of the starting lineup by Bradley a few weeks previous and had only seen sporadic playing time since. 
•          The ongoing clash between Steele and Coach Bradley. Steele had been replaced in the 3-1 playoff opening loss after the Aztecs scored their second goal in favor of Tony Crescitelli. “I still can’t understand it. Why take me off? I wasn’t playing badly. I was playing better than some of the bloody midfielders,” he insisted. It’s been this way for a while now. Something goes wrong blame Steele or Cannell. When the season’s over, that’s probably it, I’m gone. That upsets me.” 

Some fans were obviously backing Steele and Cannell in the point-counterpoint debate that was being carried out in the press. A large sign appeared prominently at the game that afternoon that stated, "If Paul and Jimmy Leave We Leave Too!"

The Dips were eliminated that afternoon after Cruyff made a legendary 65 yard run through the entire Washington defense and hammered home a left footer past Bill Irwin. Afterward, in the locker room, all of the talk of wanting to be traded had turned to pleas of  being given another chance with the Dips.

"I don't want to leave Washington, I love it here," Cannell said. "I just bought a home in Alexandria, and I have no desire to leave."

Steele seemed a bit more resigned to the fate that awaited the two. "I can't see the two of us staying. They have to split us up. People come up to me and say, 'Hey, Steeley, you're not leaving town, are you?' I hope not. I don't want to. I've said it a couple of times, yes, but if I'm going to be honest, I'd want to stay."

Post columnist Dave Kindred noted, "it would be a public relations mistake for the Diplomats to lose the likes of Cannell and Steele. They are box office."

All Gordon Bradley had to say of the matter was that he would meet with Madison Square Garden (the team's owners) in the next few weeks and then let his players know his plans for them. One has to believe he already had a plan for Cannell and Steele.

Three months later, the Dips sold Cannell's contract to the Memphis Rogues for an undisclosed amount of cash. There was little mention of the move in the Washington press, as seen by the short announcement that appeared in the Washington Star, at left.

Unfortunately for Steele, an injury while on loan to the Pittsburgh Spirit, an indoor winter team, gave the Dips the excuse they were looking for. Steele suffered severe ligament damage.

The injury was so severe that Gordon Bradley pronounced, "We feel he'll never be able to play on the professional level again. We have to go by our medical opinion. If I play Steele and he gets hurt again, we could get into a lot of legal trouble."

Was Steele buying any of this? "The club is really telling me to bleep off," he insisted. "They've left me high and dry. They're just kicking me out." Did he feel he would never play on the professional level again? No. "I'll be ready in a month," he stated in April, 1980. "I'll play for someone."

On May 29, Steele signed with, surprise, surprise, the Memphis Rogues. He and Cannell would have one more summer together to live life to the fullest.

Looking Back & Catching Up with Steve Hornor

How many trainers were asked to endorse car-dealerships
with Johan Cruyff? Hornor stands at far right.

It might be easier to state what Steve Hornor did not do during his tenure with the Diplomats rather than all the responsibilities he did fulfill. In his first year alone, Hornor served as head athletic trainer, equipment manager, locker room manager, launderer, booked all flights, hotel accommodations and arranged meals. “That first year was very difficult, but still very thrilling for a 24-year-old kid,” he fondly remembers.

What is equally impressive is that Hornor secured his multi-faceted job with the Dips prior to graduating from the University of Oregon. “I took my last final and drove from Eugene, Oregon to San Francisco, where the Dips were beginning their pre-season, and onto Phoenix prior to returning to D.C. two weeks later.”

Soccer was not Hornor’s first sport of choice. He played basketball at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. There he met Dave “Obie” Obenour, who is still Hornor’s mentor to this day. Obenour was named the first trainer for the San Jose Earthquakes and he tapped Hornor to serve as clubhouse boy.

Not only was this his introduction to soccer, but an introduction to an important career connection. The General Manager for the Earthquakes was John Carbray, and it is no coincidence that when Carbray became GM for the Diplomats in 1977, Hornor was one of his first hires.

A testament to Hornor’s athletic ability is the fact that he was first exposed to soccer in 1974, yet when he transferred to the University of Oregon to complete his undergraduate studies two year later he was the starting goalie for the Ducks. Hornor humbly states soccer was a club sport at the time, but it is still impressive how quickly he picked up and excelled at the game. 

 Hornor in action as photographed by
The Washington Star.

As a result of this experience, Coach Gordon Bradley used Hornor as an active player in practices. "I'm sure they (roster players) took it easy on me. Often, I practiced on travel days with those who had not played the day before. I did warm up Bill Irwin and the backup keeper frequently on game day."

As was to be expected in the NASL, the facilities provided to visiting teams varied, usually depending on the host team's operating budget and if the facility was shared with another professional team.

"Tulsa (Roughnecks) was filthy and very small. I vividly remember playing at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Sting (June, 1980). It was awesome to have been there but the locker room they gave to the visiting team was the room for umpires in Major League Baseball." Hence, a locker room meant to accommodate half a dozen was being used by upwards of 25 players and coaches.

That day at Wrigley provided another vivid memory for Hornor. A fierce thunderstorm forced a 28-minute delay in the action. He shares, “the two benches were in center and left field. The field ran from right field to third baseline. You could hardly see the players as they ran by on the field it was raining so hard. Lightning struck the top of stadium down the right field line. I think it was Bill Irwin in goal at that end of the field, and he took off running while the game was still going on. They stopped the match and we had a rain delay for a while. It was crazy." 

Hornor had to make a quick transition from Trainer to Director of Operations in the aftermath of a road match. "I had to make sure that the bus was available to leave the stadium when we were ready to leave. I would check us in at the airport and before we flew gave Tommy O'Hara anti-nausea medicine."

In what is still remembered as the biggest game in Diplomats history, it was Hornor who appeared on the front page of The Washington Post, much to his surprise. "An official (Gordon Arrowsmith) was struck in the head by a piece of ice that was thrown from the stands by a fan." Hornor attended to Arrowsmith, who was able to finish officiating the match. 

"The next morning, I was picking up the paper from my driveway and saw my picture. I remember thinking, 'why is the sports section on the outside?' I then realized it was the front page!" In their seven year history, Hornor was the only member of the franchise to be on the cover of The Post.

Life After the Diplomats

When the original Diplomats franchise was terminated in December, 1980, Hornor returned west and served as Head Athletic Trainer at Yuba Community College in California for the next 15 years. During this time he also worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee Medical Staff and the 1987 Pan Am Games. In 1996, he became Head Trainer and Director of Sports Medicine at Arkansas Tech University. 

Since 2005, Hornor has worked at the University of Central Arkansas as both athletic trainer and a clinical instructor. In 2015, he was inducted into the Arkansas Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame. Though he does not play sports anymore, Hornor loves to fly fish and ride his bike. 

After 41 years in the business, he is philosophical about his career. "It's a people profession, which is why I've remained an athletic trainer all these years. I've joked with my athletes no matter their age or status, and even when athletes are being paid to compete, it's still a game. At every place I've worked, I've done my best to look out for the well-being of athletes and help them compete at the highest level they can."

It's a shame that those 41 years did not include more time with the Dips!

The Sonny Saga, Volume II

Previously in The Sonny Saga:  http://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-sonny-saga-volume-i_19.html

The knowledge that Sonny Werblin, President of Madison Square Garden, Inc. (MSG), which purchased the Diplomats in October, 1978, was now personally involved with the franchise infused much enthusiasm into the Dips loyal fan base as well as the local press. After all, this was the same man who took on the National Football League with the New York Jets a decade earlier and came out the clear victor.

What steps would be initially taken in his quest to make "the Diplomats the best soccer team in the world as soon as possible," as he stated when introduced as the team's new CEO? "Werblin's past history suggests an aggressive marketing campaign," the Washington Post predicted. "He has believed in spending money to make money." The team's forthcoming 1979 season ticket mailer (right) more than met this expectation. The 1978 version had been a tri-folded, double sided piece of card stock. MSG upgraded the 1979 edition to a ten page booklet containing color photography of the team in action and color graphics.

Another important departure from previous years was MSG's decision to make Sunday afternoons the prime choice for home games. Previously, Saturday nights had been thought of as the best time.

In 1978, the team hosted three games on Sunday afternoons, all in April, and nine Saturday evening starts. In 1979, all home weekend games were scheduled for Sundays at 2:30.

On January 23, 1979, the club hosted a lunch that included front office staff and Coach Gordon Bradley. While there, Werblin spoke with Washington Post columnist Ken Denlinger as to why this was the right time for MSG to get involved in American soccer. The writer started his piece with what seemed to be a few words of caution directed squarely at the boss:

“A lot of men with fine minds and fat wallets assumed that because America was fascinated with the 1966 World Cup on televisions it soon would view soccer with the same passion as nearly every other nation. They were wrong.”

Denlinger then shared Werblin's mindset as to entering the world of soccer at this point and time. "Soccer will go for three reasons: 

• First of all, mothers would rather see their boys play soccer than football because there aren’t as many injuries.
• Then the economy comes into it. Soccer is relatively cheap, and schools are getting to the point where they can’t afford football (the economic boom of the Reagan years was still an uncertainty). 
• Finally, everybody can play. Ordinary men. And you can see the faces of soccer players.” 

After declaring his studies revealed that many in the D.C. area

did not know how to get to RFK Stadium, each copy of the teams

1979 pocket schedule included a map and directions.

What about Werblin's opinion of Washington as a sports town? "One of the things our studies show is that a whole lot of people don't know how to get to RFK Stadium. They know it's in Washington, but where? We want (the Dips) to be family entertainment," which echoed the philosophy John Carbray had introduced two years previous. "And we have absolutely no thought of leaving. We might start if we lost a couple of million. But we bought this team as an investment, not to leave town. We did not come in as carpetbaggers."

As the Dips, and MSG's first, season opener approached, there was a buzz about the franchise that was palpable in the area. The Washington Star noted the atmosphere with the following headline:

The article noted, "The Dips...profess to be going big-time. Changes are evident on the roster, in the locker room and in the minds of the club's players and coaches." Gordon Bradley reflected, "The thing I've noticed most different about the club is its organization. We're here to stay, you might say." Oh, the irony.

The season started off well. Through their first eight games, the club had a record of 6-2 and were outscoring their opponents 21-10. However, for the second straight spring, the DC area was in the throws of Bullets fever. Washington's basketball franchise was defending their 1978 championship, and the NBA playoffs coincided with the first weeks of the NASL season. On Wednesday, May 16, the Dips were scheduled to host the Memphis Rogues at 8 pm. The Bullets were also playing in San Antonio in a must win to stay alive contest, which would be broadcast on local television.

In their article previewing the match, The Washington Star detailed the economic toll the Bullets playoff run was having on the Diplomats. "They (the Dips) are averaging 11,782 per home date, but are about 4,000 below that average when the Bullets play. A recent television survey showed one million people , from an area of roughly three million people, watched a recent Bullets game on WDCA-20. That caused one Dips official to say of tonight's draw: 'If we get 5,000 I'll be very satisfied.' "

Team management was well aware of the Bullets conundrum and had tried to get Memphis to agree to play the game the following night. "We thought it would be good for the community but Memphis wouldn't cooperate," GM John Carbray told the Star. "I proposed it 10 days ago, but they said that they couldn't change because of radio commitments and that they already had purchased airline tickets. I thought that excuse was rather light." The team official who expressed satisfaction with a crowd of 5,000 was content. The Dips won, 4-1, in front of a crowd of 5,223. The Bullets season finally came to an end on Friday evening, June 1, a full two months into the Dips season.

   A simple Rene Breevort pass produced a visible spray that

   demonstrated how dismal  the weather conditions were 

on June 3, 1979. Most attending fans abandoned seats near

 the field for those with cover farther way from the action.

Two days later, Sunday, June 3, would be the Dips first weekend home game without competing with the Bullets for local sports fans attention. Perhaps MSG anticipated this as the Dips true coming out party for 1979. In any event, the weather was not conducive for an outdoor party, or any other outdoor activity. The high temperature in DC that day was 71 degrees, and the dew point was 67 degrees. Donald Huff of the Post noted, "a game-long downpour that turned the field into a swamp."

For most, common sense would dictate a large number of people would not choose to attend with such weather, seeing that there were still eight home dates left. Yet 11,450 fans attended. Still, MSG representatives were not impressed.

After the match, MSG VP Jack Krumpe openly grumbled about the Dips attendance figures after seven home games. "I'm disappointed with our (MSG) ability to stimulate the fans in this market. Maybe I'm an impatient fellow, but we'd been hoping to see the rewards of the stimulation we've used quicker than we  have so far." 

"The thought of moving the club hasn't even crossed our minds. That doesn't mean if someone makes us a great offer to move to Boise tomorrow, we wouldn't take it." Huh? Krumpe did note that the money from team ticket sales had risen impressively from 1978. "The (attendance) numbers aren't as important as the dollars, and they (the dollars) are doubled."

The Post noted, "In some ways yesterday's crowd of 11,450 had to be encouraging to the Garden. According to the Dips, 3,050 ticket holders stayed at home, indicating the crowd would have been closer to 16,000 or 17,000 had the weather been better."

To some the glass was half full. To others, it was half empty.

Frustration and confusion were clearly reigning in two camps. MSG was frustrated with smaller than anticipated attendance numbers and confused about how to fix the situation. The second group was the local press, who were frustrated with contradictory quotes coming from high ranking MSG officials and confused as to how they bode for the Dips future in DC.

The situation came to a head on June 24, when Werblin spoke with the press prior to the Dips match against the Philadelphia Fury at RFK Stadium. "If there is not growth by the end of two seasons for us with the club then we'd have to sit down and seriously think about moving," Werblin said. "I don't mean that as an ultimatum or anything." It turns out MSG was already quietly exploring new cities for their team. 

MSG hoped that Sunday afternoon matches would attract large crowds. The
Dips had three of these scheduled in June, 1979, on the 3, 17 and 24. As the
historical record attests, the weather did not cooperate. Despite great
  business success, Sonny Werblin's clout did have its limits.

Werblin stated that he was "disappointed" by the fans' reception of the 1979 team, while still acknowledging legitimate, and uncontrollable, reasons. "We've been stymied by a combination of the Bullets and the weather (right), I know that. I mean they are like a buzz saw together." Adding insult to injury, Werblin admitted that the Diplomats most likely would have moved to New York and played in Shea Stadium had it not been for the Cosmos insistence of a $12 million indemnity fee. Yet Werblin seemed to be forgetting that Jack Krumpe had recently acknowledged that money from ticket sales had doubled from the previous season.

Fans took Werblin to task. "You can't intimidate people in Washington into coming out to the games," said fan Linda Twitty. "I've been to a couple of games because I was curious and was interested in learning the game of soccer. I certainly won't go back because someone threatened to move the team. I'll go because I want to go and when I want to go; it's as simple as that."

One anonymously quoted team employee said Werblin's comments were "tasteless." Adding, "if it wasn't an ultimatum, what was it?" Jim Steele did speak on the record, calling Werblin's remarks "unbelievable."

Both The Post and The Star seized this opportunity to expose MSG's contradictory rhetoric and hypocrisy. In a June 27 column, Ken Denlinger put the onus of the Dips attendance problems squarely on Werblin.

He started his piece reprinting Werblin's January "We did not come in as carpetbaggers" statement, directly followed by Werblin's contradictory comments of June 24. Then, he went for the jugular.

• "For the first time in a remarkable career, Werblin has complained of lack of support instead of offering compelling reasons for fans to cherish his teams."
• "Werblin has given Washington nothing beyond a few imaginative promotions. With money available and the inclination to spend it, Werblin's Dips could have given the Cosmos a fierce battle."
• "Washington fans have been spending more on the Dips than ever, double and triple in some instances. But Werblin, in less than a year in control of the team, is impatient."
• "Werblin's Sunday threat leads one to wonder whether Gulf & Western ever was serious about giving soccer a serious go or simply jump off at the first sign of danger."
• "Werblin clearly enjoys a sporting scrap. In Washington, though, he is backing away without offering even one solid jab."

The Star's John Schultz made other valid points about MSG's handling of the franchise. The team 

"draws a young, suburban, middle-class audience. Werblin wants the movers and shakers of Washington. The two worlds couldn't be farther apart. Instead of crucifying Washington as a second-rate sports town, Werblin would do well to look inside the Dips organization and see what's happening.

He is quoted as saying 'your important Washington people leave town on weekends,' yet 11 of the Dips 15 home games are played on Sunday afternoon (a move MSG initiated). He says 'you sell sports as much on the news page as the sports page,' yet the club diligently is seeking an under-18 crowd that really couldn't care less about Washington politics or its people.' " 

Schultz astutely pointed out that Werblin and MSG didn't understand Washington or it's inhabitants. The boss agreed, confiding, "we haven't been able to find the real Washington. Usually we can put our finger on a market and get a pulse for the place. There are a million people (actually three million) out there someplace. We have to find them."

Fortuitously, NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam was in town attending a luncheon on June 27 as the storm over Werblin's words simmered and swirled like a late afternoon DC thunderstorm. His view of soccer in the nation's capital was in stark contrast to Werblin's and MSG. 

"I'm not sure what Sonny was thinking when he said those things", Woosnam said. "My personal feeling is that Washington has come a long way to get where it is today. I think the franchise is ready to take off in the next couple of years. The crowds will come." He expected Washington to have a team in the NASL "for a long, long time," elaborating that "Washington, New York and Los Angeles are the key cities if we (the NASL) want to gain international acceptance." 

News about the Dips television ratings provided something positive during this otherwise tumultuous time. Television ratings giant Arbitron reported that the Dips received an average rating of 4.0 for their first five games during the 1979 campaign that were broadcast on local TV. At the time, ABC’s nationally televised NASL games only had an average of 2.5.

The Dips finished the 1979 regular season with a franchise best record of 19-9. During their last six home games the average attendance was 13, 554. In 1978, they averaged 10,523 over their last six home games. Clearly, progress was being made. However, there are times when two parties may have a different idea regarding the definition of the same word.

Sunday, August 19, arrived as do or die day for the 1979 Dips. They were to play the Los Angeles Aztecs in the second game of their National Conference quarterfinal playoff series at RFK Stadium. Win, and the Dips would force a third "mini-game," which would be played immediately following the first match, to decide who would advance. Lose, and their season would be over.

As if this scenario did not create enough drama for the club's fans, an article appeared in the Post that morning stating that MSG was attempting to arrange a game between the Dips and another NASL team in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 29. To quote Sting in the Police song Synchronicity II,
this amounted to "a humiliating kick in the crotch." 

Jerry Saperstein, Chief aid to Sonny Werblin, confirmed that MSG management had been talking to Milwaukee officials about the event. “We’re just trying to keep the team active during the offseason,” Saperstein, who was obviously MSG’s chief distributor of crapola, said. He contended that an exhibition game half way across the continent did not mean that MSG was eyeing Milwaukee as as a possible future home for the Dips.

Officials with the Diplomats were not buying this logic. "They're testing things, experimenting," one said. "They still don't know what the hell they are doing up there." Coach Gordon Bradley was more succinct, "I can't see any reason for playing in Milwaukee." The idea was finally scrapped when MSG could not convince another NASL team to participate.


The match played that day, in 86 degree heat and humidity over 90%, was intense and impassioned. The Dips drew first blood when Bobby Stokes converted a penalty kick just 9 minutes in. Chris Dangerfield and Leo Van Veen of LA netted the next two, seven minutes apart, to give the Aztecs a 2-1 lead. Sakib Viteskic scored his first goal since April to produce a 2-2 tie at halftime. 

Mike Dillon celebrates his game tying goal.

Chris Dangerfield put home his second tally of the match early in the second half. As precious time ticked off the clock, the Dips played with ferocity and great emotion. The drama got the best of Dips forward Alan Green, who was ejected with 23:31 second left in the game for bumping into referee David Socha.

With the season on the line, playing one man short, the Dips sent everyone to attack the Aztecs goal area. Defender Mike Dillon scored in the 86th minute to tie the match at 3-3. 

Jim Steele, top left, Tom O'Hara, far
left, Carmine Marcantonio, Mike
Dillon and goalkeeper Bill Irwin
(in green) are stunned as their season
came to an abrupt end moments before.

There were less than 30 seconds left in the first overtime period when Johan Cruyff started with the ball roughly 70 yards from the Dips goal. He crossed midfield and dashed to the 35 yard line unimpeded. Nearing the Dips penalty arc he was challenged by, and sidestepped, Jim Steele.

Just inside the penalty box, Mike Dillon, Tommy O'Hara and Carmine Marcantonio seemingly had him corralled, yet he eluded this trio also. His left foot shot from 14 yards out came only 13 seconds before the Dips would have had a short rest to change ends. (View the goal here)  "Only one player in the park  could have scored that goal," O'Hara said, "and Cruyff did."

After the game, Sonny Werblin discussed his plans for the Dips future. He stated the club would "definitely" be in Washington next season, but would not comment beyond that. “I still think soccer will go here. We had a good product this year. I won’t use the word disappointing about the attendance but I had hoped it would have been better.” Werblin had used that exact word to describe attendance while venting to the press on June 24.

Would he consider signing a world class player? Werblin's answer: "I don’t think Washington has proven it deserves a superstar.” The boss did not rule out the possibility of the club buying one, however, mentioning Kevin Keegan by name.

                                             _______________________________

So how did the 1979 Diplomats fare in their first year under MSG ownership? 

• The average attendance for home games was 12,177. In 1978, that figure was 10,800. 
• Revenue generated from ticket sales had doubled from the previous fiscal year.
• On television, the team's local broadcasts were far outperforming ABCs nationally televised games.
• Recorded a single season franchise best 19 wins.

Did MSG follow through on statements regarding their vision for the Dips?

• "Make the Diplomats the best soccer team in the world as soon as possible.": MSG balked at the price 1978 World Cup star Daniel Passarella of Argentina was asking for. The roster was upgraded, but hardly on a scale to rival the best teams in the world.
• "We bought this team as an investment, not to leave town. We did not come in as carpetbaggers." After only seven home games, MSG VP Jack Krumpe said, "...if someone makes us a great offer to move to Boise tomorrow, we (would) take it." That sentiment was followed Werblin's declaration, "If there is not growth by the end of two seasons for us with the club then we'd have to sit down and seriously think about moving." At the time, MSG had only owned the team for eight months.

Perhaps John Carbray best summed up the Dips situation as it stood at the end of the 1979 season. “I think Washington is on the right track as a soccer town. Right now we are right where soccer is at in this country. Soccer is not New York and 70,000 people, and it’s not Philadelphia and 4,000. It’s us, 12,000. I think Washington will make it as a soccer town." He then added a caveat that would prove prophetic, “If the Garden is patient with it.”

Next time in "The Sonny Saga," changes come, but would the franchise stay?

The Diplomats & The 1978 World Cup

Forty years ago, as Argentina was celebrating their first World Cup
title, the Dips were still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship with the Madison Square Garden Corporation (MSG), their new owners. The money that MSG was willing to spend to make the Diplomats a contender was far more than the franchise had ever had in their operating budget.

"Since the new owners took over, we've been looking at a different class of player," Coach Gordon Bradley stated to the Washington Post on November 8, 1978.  "At this point, there is no reason for us to sign a player unless he's going to be 50 or 60 or 70 times percent better than the player we have at that position now. I know if I go to the Madison Square Garden people and tell them I want a player and he's going to make a big difference to our team, they'll give me the money I need."

In a January 23, 1979, article titled "Diplomats, Keegan Reach Agreement," the Post reported that the club had reached a verbal agreement with 1978 European Player of the Year Kevin Keegan for the upcoming season (unfortunately, this never came to be http://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2010/07/kevin-keegan-diplomat.html). The final two paragraphs of the article publicly confirmed for the first time that the Diplomats were also in negotiations with Argentine World Cup Team Captain Daniel Passarella. An undisclosed source was quoted as stating the Dips were, "90 percent of the way" to finalizing a deal.

About a week later, a small byline in The Washington Star read "Dips Reach Financial Impasse on Passarella." Little information was provided except for a quote from a team spokesman stating, "At this point it is doubtful we will sign him this year. Negotiations have not terminated but they have reached an impasse."

On February 8, The Post reported the disappointing news that the two parties had broken off negotiations. Reports from Argentine news sources stated that the Dips had offered a multi-year $1.8 million deal. General Manager John Carbray told the Post that the deal broke down when the Diplomats and River Plate, Passarella's club in Argentina, could not agree on exhibition games in America, "and other secondary parts of the agreement."

Dips Reunion Details

The Washington Diplomats Reunion that D.C. United is supporting will take place at Audi Field Suite #1, on Friday, May 31, beginning at 7 pm. Admission to the reunion will be $50 per person, which includes food and welcome drinks. Diplomats alumni who are already planning to attend include Paul Cannell, Carmine Marcantonio, Sonny Askew, Roy Willner, Steve Danzansky, Kurt Kuykendall, Brian Pillinger, Pete Mehlert, Dave Carbray. RSVP to Jim Reed at jreed65844@aol.com asap.

The Diplomats Once Planned a Stadium of Their Own

A long forgotten piece of Washington soccer lore is the fact that the team once seriously toyed with the idea of their own suburban stadium. Already playing in Fairfax, Virginia, and inspired by the posh ambiance of the Capital Centre, which had opened two years earlier, the team looked to upgrade
the facilities at W.T. Woodson High School, aka Fairfax Stadium. On April 13, 1976, a press conference was held announcing the project which featured an architectural vision of the new complex. John Carbray, who was hired as General Manager at the end of the 1976 season and made many major upgrades to the teams image and facilities, arranged for the team to permanently move to RFK Stadium in the spring of 1977, thus putting an end to the idea of a pitch in suburbia.

From left, John Kerr, Tom McConville and Dennis Viollet review plans for new stadium.

The Sonny Saga, Volume I

Team President
 Steve Danzansky

In October, 1978, the Diplomats were purchased by Madison Square Garden Corporation, a subsidiary of Gulf & Western. The visionary at the helm of MSG was Sonny Werblin, who had developed a reputation for having the Midas touch after decades of success in the business world. Just 26 months later, in December, 1980, Werblin pulled the plug on the Dips and the franchise folded.

Over a series of four posts entitled “The Sonny Saga,” this blog will look back at what lead to MSG purchasing the franchise to its ultimate demise under Werblin’s watch. This first post will deal with the chaotic end to the 1977 season and conclude with the purchase by MSG.

As the Diplomats prepared for the 1977 season, management pondered a major change in venues. For the previous three seasons, the franchise had slowly built a loyal fan base while playing at Woodson Stadium, a high school field in suburban Virginia. Newly hired general manager John Carbray and team president Steve Danzansky decided the time was right to move all home games to Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, in southeast Washington, D.C.

Local soccer demographics revealed encouraging statistics that made such a move logical. 45,000 local youths were playing soccer in organized leagues located in Northern Virginia and Maryland. This mass of potential customers would become larger when parents were taken into consideration. League wide, attendance had risen 34.7% from 1975 to 1976.

That optimism would be short lived. Viollet was fired after a 6-9 start, and the team finished 10-16. In their analysis at seasons end, The Washington Post’s Donald Huff and John Feinstein were brutally honest in their assessment. “The 1977 soccer season, which started with high hopes from the Dips, has ended in total failure. Mediocre players were signed, although good ones were available.”

The news was not as disheartening at the turnstile, but rather a mixed bag. “With their 10-16 record, the Diplomats easily broke their attendance records, drawing an average of 13,058 per game…although many tickets were given away or sold at discount prices.” A September, 1979, article stated that during the ’77 campaign, “less than half of… (those) tickets were paid for.” Huff and Feinstein concluded, “On the field, the team has gone backwards this season. Turning it in the right direction is going to be a difficult task.”

Yet, the organization did just that. In the fall of 1977 Gordon Bradley was hired as the Diplomats third head coach. He came with a reputation as a proven winner with a tireless work ethic. When Bradley was announced as the team’s new coach, it was regarded as “the first move the Dips made in months that was applauded by soccer people not only here but around the league.” An NASL insider stated, “If Gordon Bradley can’t get the job done in Washington, then there probable isn’t anyone who can.”

Bradley got the job done. The Dips won their first 5 matches and eight of their first 10, exponentially increased their offensive production (scoring 55 goals as opposed 1977s total of 31), and made the playoffs, losing a sudden death heartbreaker to the Portland Timber. One would think that team management would have been jubilant.

A prominent headline in the July 29, 1978, Washington Post sports section announced, “Dips Confirm Heavy Loss, May Be Sold.” The adjoining article detailed how the team had amassed financial losses of more than $500,000 for the second straight year. Despite the overall upgrade of on-field personnel, despite the vastly improved offense, despite the fact that the team was a winner and obviously playoff bound, attendance had dropped an average of roughly 2,000 persons per game.

The 1978 Dips are introduced before a home game at RFK Stadium.

Team President Steve Danzansky confessed he was “baffled” by this reversal. It was disclosed, however, that management had drastically reduced the number of complimentary tickets provided during the 1977 season. This was a calculated, and sound, business decision aimed at determining genuine fan interest. “Our expenses were higher this season (1978) but we have a much better team,” Danzansky explained to The Post. Optimistically, he noted that paid attendance had doubled since the previous season.

Speculation about the team’s financial status swirled the remainder of the summer and into early fall. On October 5, 1978, news broke that Madison Square Garden Corp (MSG) had purchased the franchise for $1.5 million (roughly $5.4 million in 2015). MSG was chaired by Sonny Werblin, who helped the American Football League take on and merge with the NFL a decade earlier.

MSG was a subsidiary of Gulf & Western, whose eight groups of companies made upwards of $4 billion in sales the previous fiscal year (Roughly $14.3 billion in 2015). It was, in Werblin’s words, “in the business of purchasing sports franchises and operating them.” Steve Danzansky would remain as team president, and both he and his father Joseph were “substantial minority investors.”

A letter of agreement, signed by the Dips, MSG Corp and the DC Armory Board, which over saw RFK Stadium, stated that the team would stay in Washington for at least 5 years, with options to extend the team’s lease at RFK for 15 years.

At the October 6 press conference introducing the new owners, Werblin stated MSG wanted “to make the Diplomats the best soccer team in the world as soon as possible.” He continued, “I can assure you, that whatever we decide, Gordon Bradley will be in charge of putting this team together.” The two were friends when Bradley coached the Cosmos, so much so that Werblin referred to Bradley as his “soccer mentor.” Publicly, Werblin was saying everything the D.C. soccer community wanted to hear. There may have been more in what he was not saying.

Originally, Werblin envisioned buying the Diplomats and moving them to New York’s Shea Stadium to compete against the Cosmos, who played at the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey. The Cosmos demand of a $12 million indemnity fee and the desire of the NASL to have a team in Washington kept this plan from becoming reality. This revelation would later serve to cast Werblin, in the words of Washington Post columnist Dave Kindred, as a “pinstriped carpetbagger.”

Team President Steve Danzansky presents Sonny Werblin with a ceremonial Dips jersey. After receiving number 79, Werblin would 86 the team within two seasons.

Next time in "The Sonny Saga," mixed messages add up to a firm confirmation of a definite maybe regarding the Diplomats long term status in Washington, or as an entity.