1973

A few Green White players reached milestones during the 1973, including Rudi Mayer (below right) who played in his 200th game with the club, and Nick Willer who made the exclusive 500-game club, but 1973 really belonged to Rudi's younger brother Hansi (below left). The former star of the Green White youth program was now showing his stuff with the First Team.

Green White played a 2-3-5 lineup which was common at that time. There were several different starting lineups, but the team that donned the Green and White most often looked like this: Hardi Ritter in the goal. Fladischer and Kirschner in the back. Joe Laxgang, Kelm, and Marks in the midfield. And the strong front five of Hansi Mayer, Team Captain Rudi Mayer, Mathes, Michajlovitsch, and Drace. (Others that contributed to the First Team in 1973, often in the starting lineup themselves were Berger, Ratschan, Lehman, Willer, Kaiser, Pressling, Wittje, Schuster, and the ever-present John Woolfe.)



Peter Mathes led the team in scoring, but when the dust settled after the 1973 season, only one player stood on the stage to accept the Player of the Year award: Hansi Mayer.

The award was presented at the annual Sport, Radio & Press ball (in the Golden Tiara Ballroom at 3231 N. Cicero in Chicago) by the German National Team coach, Helmut Schoen. Also on hand, "World Cup Willi" Schultz, the recently retired star of the 1970 German World Cup team.

The Green White first team didn't compete for the title, but they stayed in the Major Division, while the Eagles and Maroons were relegated.


Green White Youth Teams

The 70s belonged to the Green White youth program, and they were strong once again in 1973 at every single level. One group of boys featured long time players like Frank Schmidt Jr., Frank Olah, Mike Weiss, Hans Metzinger Jr., Mike Bappert, and Steve Marx.

Some of the former Midgets team had moved up an age group, and they dominated there too led by Frank Schmaltz, Frank Speth, Robert Klaus, and Mike Hrbacek (who led the team in goals).



And the Midgets finished in 1st place again. The strong team featured the boys in the photo above; Richard Schneider, Mike Blaas, Marcus Laxgang, Peter Wagner, and Robert Bless


Green White Off the Field

Martin Schneider served as President for the final time in 1973. The man who had helped organize and found the team in 1956 would turn over the reigns the following year. The club was more than 300 strong, and membership at the time cost a whopping $15.

Miss Green White made history. She was not only Miss Green White, she was also one of the players on the women's team. 18 year old Eva Stengel from Good Counsel High School announced in her speech that she planned to study nursing.

The Green White ladies club also staged a "mod dance" for which most of the men grew mustaches. Some of them never shaved them off.


1973 Green White Babies



*Jeff Feicthl (photo)

*Current Green White First Team Coach Jason (Jake) Truty


In Pop Culture

*All in the Family remained the #1 television show in the country. It kicked off the Saturday night lineup on CBS, which is still probably the strongest single night lineup in television history (M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bob Newhart Show, and the Carol Burnett show)

*The number one song of the year was "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" by Tony Orlando & Dawn. (Spoiler alert: there were a hundred yellow ribbons round the old oak tree.)


Elsewhere in 1973



~Elvis Presley did the first world-wide broadcast hosted by an entertainer. His concert from Hawaii drew more viewers than the moon landing in 1969.

~Pink Floyd released one of the biggest selling albums in history; "Dark Side of the Moon".

~All afterschool specials were pre-empted to present the Watergate hearings. Impeachment talk started after President Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to dismiss Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refused and resigned, along with Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus. Solicitor General Robert Bork, third in line at the Department of Justice, then fired Cox.

~Roe vs. Wade was decided by the Supreme Court.

~The first designated hitter batted in the Major Leagues; Ron Bloomberg of the Yankees.

~Secretariat won horseracing's Triple Crown.


Coming next month: 1974.

As always, if you have any thing to add or correct in this month’s installment, please drop me a line at amishrick@yahoo.com. I consider this a group project, and a work in progress, so we can add and subtract until we get it all exactly correct. If you have photos you’d like to contribute, please do.