Sting '81 champs: A team to remember

The 1981 Chicago Sting was a special team made up of winners from all over the world. They had a common goal - to win the little games and the big ones and they did it. Along the way, they picked up a great number of fans. The city of Chicago fell in love with the Sting and many were along for the ride.

"It brought more excitement to the Chicago sports scene than any team had in a long time," former announcer Roy Leonard said. "The Sting kept winning. Crowds attended the games. They loved to see a winner."

The Sting had a successful '81 season, culminating in a winning the Soccer Bowl in Toronto. The team collected a 23-9 record, tied with the New York Cosmos for the best record that year. And then came the playoffs, in which Chicago took care of the Seattle Sounders, the Montreal Maniac and San Diego Sockers before facing the Cosmos in the Soccer Bowl.

"I remember they seemed to be a team of destiny," former Sting announcer and current Chicago Fire TV color commentator Kenny Stern said. "They played in a lot of overtime games and never lost one, including the semifinal and the final. The city, fans inclusive, adopted the Sting when they started their run. They had a huge playoff run."

The matchup was no easy task for Chicago. The Sting had faced the Cosmos twice in the regular season and won both matches. But New York wasn't your average team.

"The Cosmos were loaded with stars," former radio and TV announcer Howard Balson said. "We didn't have players that were known on paper. The Cosmos had World Cup players at almost every position, except the two Americans that they had to have on the field. We beat them. And not just in the championship game. We beat them all year long. We were their bugaboo."

The championship game was special -- and one not to be forgotten. Fans packed their bags and headed north to see the Sting win the first championship for the city of Chicago since the Bears of 1963.

"Thousands of fans came to Toronto for the championship game," Leonard said. "After the game, downtown Toronto was full of Chicago fans. It was exciting and infectious."

But perhaps the game to remember was one game prior. Chicago welcomed the San Diego Sockers to Comiskey Park for the deciding game of the semifinal round of the playoffs. San Diego had won one game, so had Chicago. So it all came down to the one match, which 39,623 fans attended. And the Sting pulled out a win - 1-0 via shootout to advance to the Soccer Bowl.

"That was the best of the Sting games," Sun-Times reporter Len Ziehm said. "They won at Comiskey Park in front of 39,000 fans. And they came out in the rain. It was a terrific game. The atmosphere was upbeat, positive and passionate."

Stern agrees. "The semifinal game was a great deal more exciting for me than the final," he said. "We beat the San Diego Sockers at Comiskey Park. It was the greatest 1-0 soccer game I've ever seen."

If you ask anyone what made the team so special, they'll say it was the players. Every player on the team took on his own persona. They were characters and slowly but surely won the hearts of Chicago fans.

"I remember the dribbling skills of Pato (Margetic)," Ziehm said. "And the way Karl-Heinz (Granitza) could shoot a ball. His shots were crushers. Dave Huson would score and then blow kisses to the crowd. It was a team you could know and love. They really connected with the fans."

Balson said the team was truly one to remember.

"Willy Roy had outstanding foreign players," Balson said. "Our Americans were second to none. It was a neat blend. They were great in the locker room. They were great to travel with. They were fun. The '81 team was really special."

Sunday will be a time for the Sting to come together, from owner Lee Stern to the players on the field and everyone else that oiled the machine. The Sting family will catch up and share stories.

Perhaps Balson summed it up best. "I'm looking forward to see which guys are still in shape and which guys have a tummy like me," he said.

This Sunday, the 1981 Soccer Bowl Champions will be honored at Toyota Park.