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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| 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". |
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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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| 1970: Bob Hayes recruits talented engineer Bob
Furr and together they design the first American
made Soccer Table. Texas Style table soccer is born. |
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1971: Deutscher Meister becomes top selling foosball
table in US along with Garlando |
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| 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. |
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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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| 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. |
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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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| 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. |
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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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| 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. |
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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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| 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.
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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. |
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| 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. |
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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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| 1980: The Complete Book of Foosball is published
by Contempoorary Books, worlds largest sports book
publisher. |
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1981: Three-time
World Foosball Champion Jim Wiswell found dead
in his home. |
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| 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. |
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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. |
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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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| 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.
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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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| 1990: Johnny Horton wins singles World Foosball
Championships on Tornado. |
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1992: Terry
Moore introduces his snake and wins Foosball Tornado
World Championship singles. |
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| 1996: Tommy Adkinson and Robert
Mares win open doubles foosball Tornado world championship.
ESPN features the foosball tournament on tv. |
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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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| 2001: Johnny Horton wins singles World Foosball
Championships on Tornado. |
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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. |
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