The Green White first team had a rough season to start off the new decade. With young stars like Joe Filian playing professionally in New York, Robert Meschbach putting up an All-American season for Indiana University, and Parade Magazine High School All-American John Dunkas enjoying his first year at Miami of Ohio, Green White struggled. Luckily they still had the steady leadership of captain Rudi Mayer, and longtime player Hans Metzinger Jr. (who was named the team's MVP), so they managed to stay afloat.
But while the first team struggled, the youth side was building a mini-dynasty, even if they didn't yet know it. Helmut Filian's under-12 team (photo below) was in first place, and poised for bigger and better things. Filian remembers that time well: “We had some really great players that came from our original Green White families, players like Peter Kaempfer and Kurt Melcher. They were on the A-team because they earned their way onto the team, but we had lots of other players from the surrounding areas too.”
The U-10 team was also dominant for such a young team. Chris Salatino was a member of that team, and remembers those early practices beginning when he was only eight years old. "Mrs. Gyurko drove us to practice at the field on Austin & Foster in her Volkswagen Rabbit. Sometimes there were six of us crammed in there. That was before seatbelt laws, of course."
That team would likewise develop into a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.
Green White Off the Field
Miss Green White 1980 was Lore M. Willer, and she represented the club at the annual Sport, Radio & Press ball.
The Green White board remained the same, with the exception of one old friend returning to the fold. Eckhard Kaempfer returned from Germany, and immediately reclaimed his old position as secretary. Hans Metzinger remained the president, and for awhile, even helped coach the first team. According to the minutes from the board meetings, the board was already discussing their dissatisfaction with their fields in Chicago. A plan was being hatched to move, although it would take a few more years, and a few significant developments before that occurred.
Green White Babies
*Future first team player Brendan Connor.
Elsewhere in Soccer
After their incredibly disappointing performance in the 1978 World Cup, a new generation of West German stars won the 1980 European Cup, beating Belgium at the Olympic Stadium in Rome.
In Pop Culture
*The number one song of the year was "Call Me" by Blondie
*The Academy Award for best picture was given to "Ordinary People"
*The top rated television show of 1980 was "Dallas"
Elsewhere in 1980
~President Carter ordered a rescue effort for hostages in Iran. It failed.
~Ted Turner started up a cable news channel that provided 24-hour news coverage. He called it C.N.N.
~Pacman and Rubik's Cube were released and enjoyed instant popularity.
~Ronald Reagan was elected president of the United States, defeating incumbent president Jimmy Carter, and independent candidate John Anderson.
~John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment building in New York by a deranged fan named Mark David Chapman. Most of America heard the news during the Monday Night Football game.
Coming next month: 1981. Green White celebrates their 25th anniversary.
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.
