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History of American Foosball
(Table Soccer)

History of American Foosball (Table Soccer)

1960: Lawrence Patterson is called to active duty in Berlin, Germany. While stationed in Germany, Patterson arranges with a German factory for rights to import highly popular European table soccer game to the U.S.A.

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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1962: Patterson brings first table soccer game to the U.S. He receives Canadian and American trademark rights to the term "FOOSBALL" and christens his soccer table "Foosball Match".
1967-68: Patterson sells franchise to his FOOSBALL MATCH soccer table by mail order using full page ads in such prestigious national publications such as LIFE Magazine, Esquire, and the Wall Street Journal. Patterson International publishes first FOOSNEWS Magazine.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1970: Bob Hayes recruits talented engineer Bob Furr and together they design the first American made Soccer Table. Texas Style table soccer is born.
1971: Deutscher Meister becomes top selling foosball table in US along with Garlando
1971: The first major French-Style tournament in the USA, the "Tidewater Footsball Championships", was held in December of 1971 at the Virginia Beach Civic Center (AKA Virginia Beach "dome"). Also known as Baby Foot or table football
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1972: Missoula, Montana tavern owner Lee Peppard stages 1st National Foosball Championships at 8-Ball Billiards on Deutscher Meister tables. Jack Briggs and Stu Meyers capture open doubles. Marcio Bonilla wins singles.
1973: Tornado holds first national championships at Mickey Finns in Dallas, Texas. Reggie Congleton captures singles. Gary Pfeil doubles winning both doubles with George Meisner and mixed doubles with Lori Schranz.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1973: Peppard holds $5,000 National Championships again at 8-Ball Billiards, but this time on his new Tournament Soccer Table. Bowers wins singles. Marcio Bonilla and Larry Folk win doubles.
1974: Though there were some skeptics Peppard follows through and stages a $50,000 International Championship in Denver, Colorado at Elitch Gardens. This marked the beginning of an era of professional Table Soccer as regional legends and styles clashed for the first time.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1975: Lee Peppard now joined by Texas promoter Cal Rogers stages Quarter Million Dollar Pro table soccer tour hitting 34 cities. Dan Kaiser and Ken Rivera capture $20,000 doubles top prize at $100,000 Finale in Denver Colorado.
1976: Tournament Soccer increases pro tour to $375,000. Belz and Bednar avenge 1975 loss by dominating doubles competition in the $125,000 World Championships before a partisan hometown crowd.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1976: $16,000 4th Annual Tornado Nationals held in August at the Ramada Inn in Irving Texas. Open doubles first prize $2,000 won by Mark Crowell and Marty Chase. Lane Hunnicutt wins open singles.
1977: Tournament Soccer announces $500,000 foosball tour to introduce new bluetop table. Doug Furry tops money winner list after winning a new Porche in Super Singles. Furry's earnings total $27,175.00.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1977: Playing under the team name "Lost in Space" teenagers Todd Loffredo and Gil Jackson against amazing odds win the largest participation foosball tournament of all time capturing 1st place open doubles cash and prizes of $25,000.
1977: Tornado Nationals awards $20,000 in prize money. Ronnie Lewis and Lee O'Quinn come through the losers bracket to defeat Jim Wiswell and Lori Schranz in a tense foosball open doubles final. Steve Simon wins Singles.
1977: Tournament Soccer announces one Million dollar tour to span eighteen months and hit forty cities. Tour includes 15 - 10 granders, 2 - 25 granders, 2 - 100 granders, and a $250,000 World Championship. The Browntop table is introduced at Portland Open in September 1978.
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1978: Jim Wiswell & Doug Furry continue hometown domination by winning two Corvettes at Super Doubles Memorial Foosball Weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1978: Kaiser and Martin win 2 $50,000 foosball tournaments in Rochester and Portland, ending Mike Bowers 4 year domination of Portland Doubles events.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1980: The Complete Book of Foosball is published by Contempoorary Books, worlds largest sports book publisher.
1981: Three-time World Foosball Champion Jim Wiswell found dead in his home.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1981: Teen idol, Leif Garrett stars in "Long Shot" a full length feature film about three teenagers' quest to capture the National Fussball (foosball) Championship.
1981: Tournament Soccer holds its world foosball championship in conjunction with Atari Video Games, billiards, air hockey and darts. Johnny Horton wins singles. Doug Furry and Johnny Lott win doubles. This is Tournament Soccer's last tournament. The company folds shortly afterwards.
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1983: Dynamo sponsors $80,000 tour culmination with $30,000 World Foosball Championship in Chicago.
1984: Tony Bacon and Don Chalifoux defeat Bob Gibson and Johnny Lott, Todd Loffredo wins singles at Dynamo World Foosball Championships.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1986: Dynamo and Tornado hold dual foosball table World Championships in Dallas, Texas. Steve Cobain and Chad Hanson win on Dynamo. Johnny Horton and Todd Loffredo win on Tornado.
1987: The Captain Steve Murray sweeps all 3 Tornado events. Tony Bacon won dynamo singles for the 3rd straight year. Todd Loffredo Bob Maloney defeated Bacon and Chalifoux in Dynamo doubles. Tornado emerges as the preferred professional foosball table.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1990: Johnny Horton wins singles World Foosball Championships on Tornado.
1992: Terry Moore introduces his snake and wins Foosball Tornado World Championship singles.

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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
1996: Tommy Adkinson and Robert Mares win open doubles foosball Tornado world championship. ESPN features the foosball tournament on tv.
1997: Cindy Head wins the World Foosball Championship Women's singles. This is one of over 50 major championships she has won.
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FOOS - Foosball Movie Documentary - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DO NOT COPY
2001: Johnny Horton wins singles World Foosball Championships on Tornado.
2003: Warrior Table Soccer hold a $200,000 kickoff table soccer event in Las Vegas. Todd Loffredo and Frederico Collignon continue their recent domination of professional doubles.

Some excerpts from The Complete Book Of Foosball
Copyright ©1980 by Johnny Rafols (writing as Johnny Lott) and Kathy Brainard


FOOS - Be The Greatest ©

The History of American Foosball DVD
A Robert Ismert Documentary
OWN THE FOOSBALL MOVIE DVD - AVAILABLE AUGUST 2006
A foosball movie video documentary about the players, promoters, history and passion of American foosball ( also known as table soccer, baby foot, and table football ).

 

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