July 31 (1979)

The year-old Major Indoor Soccer League awards a franchise to St. Louis. The team has a name (the Steamers), a logo designed by Bill McDermott, an owner (Marvin Mann of New Jersey), a general manager (Steve Weaver, former PR director of the NASL’s St. Louis Stars), and a home (the Checkerdome). Although the season will start in four months, troubled waters seem to lie ahead. The Steamers have no coach, no ticket prices, no schedule and no players. Weaver will quit before the season starts. Nevertheless, the Steamers somehow find smooth sailing with a native St. Louisan (Pat McBride) as coach, a St. Louis captain (Steve Pecher), a crew composed of St. Louis, other U.S., and international players, and marketing wizards Tracey and Tim Leiweke. The Steamers will surprise almost everybody by selling out their first home game, and many others, over their first three seasons in the 17,931-seat Checkerdome. The Steamers’ average attendance in the 1979-80 season — 14,060 — will be almost triple the average attendance for all MISL games in the 1978-79 season. Average attendance will peak at 17,107 in 1981-82, then decline to a low of 6,440 in 1987-88, after which the Steamers go out of business.