1975

1975 was an eventful year for Green White. Led by manager Steve Zimmer and president Hans Metzinger, the first team had a very good season. In August the first ever Donauschaben Tournament was held in Akron Ohio. Teams of similar Danube Schwabian descent from all over the country battled it out on the soccer field. Green White was undefeated and unscored upon in those games, and were scheduled to play in the finals against Cleveland but it was cancelled because of heavy rain. At the end of the weekend tournament, after tabulating the goal differential, Green White was awarded the championship trophy. The tournament is still held annually, and Green White continues to participate.

If you were present for the First Team game on September 7th, 1975, you saw Green White past, present, and future all on the field at the same time.

Two youngsters made their First Team debut that day, according to the meticulous records kept by club archivist Andreas Laxgang. Joe Filian started at midfield and Robert Meschbach started at striker. Both of these teenagers would later go on to play professional soccer, but on this day they shared the field with the Green White greats that came before them. Long-time players John Woolfe, Joe Laxgang and Nick Willer all played that day, as did the current stars of the team, Hans Mayer, Rudi Mayer, Peter Berger, and Hardy Ritter, along with longtime Green White names like Wirs, Schuster, and Wittje. The three generations of Green White players battled to a 2-2 tie against O.H. United in Lane Tech Stadium.

1975 also marked the first season for the professional Chicago Sting. The Sting recruited Green White's captain, Rudi Mayer, to be a part of that team (bottom row, far left). The Sting would remain an important part of the soccer landscape in Chicago for next decade.



While Rudi was showing Chicago and America what soccer could be, a collection of all-star Old Timers from the German teams in Chicago went on a tour of Germany to show their former countrymen the old guys still had what it took to kick the ball around. Among the players on that all-star team were Green White's very own Steve Zimmer and Joe Laxgang.

And the Green White ladies team showed what they were made of as well. In the summer tournament at the Schwaben Center, the Green White ladies team made it all the way to the finals before losing 2-0 to the Chicago Kickers in the final game.



Green White Off The Field

Brigitte Maria Kiefer was named Miss Green White and represented the club at the annual Sepp Herberger Sport, Radio & Press Ball. Green White's Junior Team (which featured the likes of Filian, Meschbach, and the next decade's First Team starters) was awarded the Junior Team of the year award.

Green White's Rudi Mayer was awarded the Sepp Herberger trophy for Player of the Year, and First Team goaltender Hardy Ritter finished in third place for that same award.


In Pop Culture

~The #1 song of the year was "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille

~The top rated show on television was "All in the Family"

~The Academy Award for Best Picture of 1975 went to "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", but "Jaws" was the big winner at the box office.


Elsewhere in 1975

~In John Wooden's final game as coach, UCLA won their 10th NCAA championship of the past 12 years.

~Frank Robinson became the first African American manager in baseball (Cleveland Indians). Bill Veeck bought the White Sox.

~The U.S. evacuated US citizens from Saigon prior to an expected North Vietnamese takeover, and U.S. involvement in the war officially came to an end.

~Cher divorced Sonny Bono.

~Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in suburban Detroit.

~Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is unsuccessful in her assassination attempt against President Ford in Sacramento.

~Patty Hearst was captured by the FBI after being kidnapped, and then participating in several bank robberies.




Coming next month: 1976. America celebrates a Bicentennial and Green White celebrates their 20th 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.

1974

The 1974 season might not have been the best in league play for Green White's first team (they finished in the middle of the pack), but the summer of 1974 was packed with tournaments around the area, out of state, and even out of the country.

Once again led by the Mayer brothers (Captain Rudi scored 17, his brother Hans scored 16), Green White fared well in the Minneapolis tournament at the end of May, and then came back to Chicago and played well in the tournament at the brand new Schwaben Center in Buffalo Grove.

The first team had some fun during that tournament, letting the players try out different postions. In one game defender Konrad Kirschner (photo below) played in the goal. Coach Stefan Zimmer got back in the first team lineup during that same tournament. In another tournament Stefan Strumberger made a return appearance in goal (after a long absence from first team play) so that keeper Hardy Ritter could get some time on offense. They wrapped up their tour of the continent over Labor Day weekend, when the club made the trip up to Canada, and dominated the Canadian team from Windsor.



1974 also marked yet another milestone for club mainstay Joe Laxgang. He played in his 700th game in a Green White uniform. He must have felt at home on the field, because he was playing alongside long-time teammates Nick Willer and John Woolfe during that historic game. Green White won the game 3-2 versus the Fichte Rams on a late goal by Gary Kaiser.


Green White Youth

While the first team had fun, the Green White youth teams took care of business. In one of the best seasons in Green White youth soccer history, both the Juneniles team and the Midgets won the city and state championships. The Juveniles were led by coach Simon Andres and his star players Frank Schmaltz, Frank Speth, and a player who still plays for Green White today: John Dunkas.

The midget club (photo below) featured some of the long-time names associated with the team since it's beginning, including two sons of Coach Franz Stadler (Walter & Ricky), two Laxgangs (Marcus & Ricky, sons of Stefan and Joe), Michael Blaas (also a cousin of the Laxgang boys), Mike Schmaltz (little brother of Frank), Richard Schneider (son of club founder Martin), Toni Harjung (son of original member Adam), and Eckhard Kaempfer's son--yet another Ricky (There were six boys named Richard on this team). The Kaempfers moved to Germany in December of 1974.




Green White Off The Field



There was a changing of the guard in the executive suite of Green White in 1974. Hans Metzinger became Green White's president, a position he would hold off and on for the next thirty years.

Miss Green White in 1974 was 18-year-old Hildegard Schneider. Hilde was an honor student at Loyola University.


Green White Babies

*Future Green White player and current Green White board member Robert Stadler was born on May 9, 1974.


Other Soccer News from 1974

The Green White clubhouse was abuzz during the summer of 1974 as the World Cup was held in West Germany. The German team was led by captain Franz Beckenbauer and star striker Gerd Mueller, and they won it all, defeating Holland in the final game 2-1 to win their second World Cup Championship.




In Pop Culture

*The number one song of the year was "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand

*The Best Picture of the year was "Godfather II". The biggest hit at the box office was "Blazing Saddles".

*The top show on television was once again "All in the Family"


Elsewhere in 1974



*President Richard Nixon resigned his office, and Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States. He remains the only president in history that was never elected vice president or president.

*In April, Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, moving ahead of Babe Ruth as baseball's all-time home run king.

*In August, rock star Peter Wolf (The JGeils Band) married movie star Faye Dunaway in one of the big celebrity events of the year.

*In October, Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" to regain his Heavyweight title.

*In November John Lennon made his final on-stage appearance. He came on during the encore of Elton John's concert at Madison Square Garden to perform with Elton.


Next month: 1975

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.

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.

1972

In many ways, 1972 was one of the best years in Green White history.

It all began with the first team. In his debut season as the First Team coach, Stefan Zimmer molded the team into a successful unit immediately. With a good mix of young players (like Captain Rudi Mayer, his brother Hans, Hans Marx, and Peter Mathes) and long-time stalwarts (like Joe Laxgang and Nick Willer), Green White dominated the First Division of the NSL and were promoted once again to the Major Division. Then, in the fall of 1972, Green White was named the team of the year at the annual Sport, Radio & Press ball.

In addition to the team honors, some of the individual players were honored as well. Peter Mathes was named one of the top five players in the league (4th place), and Rudi Mayer was named the player of the year (the Sepp Herberger award). He was personally handed the trophy by Sepp Herberger himself. The former German National Team coach (1954 World Cup Champion) brought along his former superstar player Uwe Seeler (the star of that team).

The two German soccer legends also wanted to personally witness some of their former countrymen play the game here in America, and as part of their tour of German soccer in Chicago, they came by the Green White fields at Welles Park on Montrose and Lincoln the next day.

It's hard to overstate how momentous this occasion was to the German soccer loving members of Green White. Klaus Killian was there, and explains just how big of a deal this was...

"I met Sepp Herberger when he came here. I had my picture taken with him (left). And I met Uwe Seeler, and got my picture taken with him too. They were really nice people—such down to earth guys. Herberger was like a father figure to all of us. What a thrill it was to meet him.”

At the time, nine out of ten Chicagoans would have walked right past Sepp Herberger, despite his worldwide fame. The unassuming kindly old man came from a part of the sporting world that most of America hadn't yet embraced. Sepp Herberger became an important part of spreading the word. The Sepp Herberger Committee that sponsored the Sport, Radio & Press ball every year as a fundraiser, donated thousands of dollars to promote youth soccer in Chicago. By 1972, that total was already more than $20,000.


Green White Youth

The Green White youth program was flourishing in 1972. All of the teams performed well, but the Midgets A team (yes, they really called them that) had a particularly great year. The entire team was recognized for their first place finish at the Green White Anniversary party, and one boy in particular was singled out. His name was Frankie Schmaltz (The German newspaper "Eintracht" was on hand to chronicle his big night and publish this photo). Frank's name would be a Green White mainstay for many more years.

(Green White also chose a Miss Green White--her name was Monika Schmidt, and she was a senior at Jones Commercial High School)



Green White Babies

*The Gyurko family had twin boys, Peter & Mark. Of course they would eventually wear the Green & White colors. The Schlenhardts also welcomed a son and future Green White player, Mike.

*Fellow future Green White players Chris Salatino, Tom Czop, and Erik Bender were also born in 1972.


Elsewhere in Soccer

*The European Cup was held in Belgium in 1972, and the host nation made it to the final four, but they ran into the West German juggernaut and lost 2-1. The West German team led by Franz Beckenbauer went on to beat the Soviet Union and claim the 1972 European Championship. Gerd Mueller scored twice in that final game.


In Pop Culture

~The number one hit of the year was "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack.

~The Best Picture of 1972 was "The Sting" . (The Oscar was awarded in 1973)

~The Top Rated Television show was All in the Family


Elsewhere in 1972

~Alabama Governor and presidential candidate George Wallace was shot at a political rally in Maryland.

~President Nixon had a great year. He went to China on a historic trip, and he won re-election by the biggest landslide in American history. On the other hand, five men were apprehended by police in an attempt to bug Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s Watergate complex. That was the start of the Watergate scandal.

~Two trains colided in Chicago, causing the worst commuter train crash in city history. 45 people died and 332 were injured.

~The 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich. Mark Spitz won seven gold medals, but these games will always be remembered for something else. The tragic murder of the Israeli athletes by Arab terrorists.

Coming next month: 1973

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.

1971

1971 wasn't the best year for the Green White first team, but it was pretty obvious that the times they were a changin. Team manager Rudi Hrbacek was mixing in some of the younger players (like Peter Mathes) along with the mainstays like Joe Laxgang (photo), John Woolfe, Steve Zimmer, and Nick Willer, and though the team didn't quite make it back up to the Major Division, they were close.

The club celebrated their 15th anniversary in 1971, and paid homage to the players that had helped make Green White into what it had become. Joe Laxgang was singled out, because he had now played in over 600 games with either the first team or the reserves. Stefan Zimmer wasn't far behind with over 500, and three others had logged more than 400 (Nick Willer, Albin Schwarz, and Rudi Hrbacek). Others honored that night included the over-300 club (Sam Berleth, Stefan Laxgang, and George Polaretzki), and the 250-club (Fred Ott, Alex Gyurko, Stefan Strumberger, and Klaus Kilian).

President Martin Schneider wrote the following in the 15th anniversary program book...

“Dear sports friends, a hearty welcome to all of you on the occasion of our fifteenth anniversary. It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since this small group of soccer friends from the Donauschwaben Jugendgruppe formed this club. 15 years that have brought us on a journey all the way to the Major Division. Yes, we have slid backwards for a short time and currently reside in the First Division, but our pride and joy is our young talent. They represent our future. Like all other German-American clubs, we can no longer rely on players coming here from the homeland. I think Green White has been on the right path in that regard for the past few years. With our wonderful homegrown talent, I’m absolutely certain we will move back up to the Major Division soon.

Since our tenth anniversary we have made two trips to Germany, once with our men’s team (1967) and once with our junior team (1970). Both trips were a big success, providing great competition and camaraderie. We’re also in the midst of renovating our clubhouse, and we’re working closely with the Donauschwaben to also find a regular field for Green White.

In conclusion, I’d like to express my gratitude and thanks to all of the hard workers on the Green White board over these past 15 years. Without your sacrifice and diligence, we certainly wouldn’t be here tonight celebrating our anniversary. We’re a big club with over 300 members, and we can be very proud of them all. We’re on the right path and our future looks bright.

I hope you all have a wonderful evening tonight, and I encourage you to continue to make our clubhouse the center of your sporting life."

Green White Youth

As Martin Schneider mentioned, the youth program was very strong. But that didn't stop the Green White newsletter from making the following observation early in 1971...

“It’s sad to report that things aren’t going quite as well as they should with the youth team this year because some of the players just aren’t taking their training as seriously as they should. It’s too big of a job for one man—currently Nick Racz, the manager of the team. He needs some help. Whoever is willing to volunteer must understand the youth of today—not the easiest thing to understand.”

The mindset of the Green White old guard was pretty obvious, and was reflected perfectly by the title of a much ballyhooed father-son game. They called it: "The Generation Gap Game". It was held on August 29.

Hans Metzinger Jr. remembers it as one of the highlights of his Green White career. "Playing in that father-son game with the Green White Juvenile team in 1971 at Welles Park was a special memory. It was probably the biggest crowd to ever watch a youth soccer game in Green White history."

Among the dads on the field that day: Christian Kidric, Frank Schmidt, Walter Dinkel, Hans Metzinger, Steve Friedrich, Lou Massong, Frank Olah, Micheal Meiss, Martin Schneider, Franz Hehn, Gustave Stark, Mathias Mayer, Adam Knoll, Hans Pfatschbacher, and Stefan Lemann. They faced off against their sons Gerhardt, Frank, Tom, Hans, Steve, Lou, Frank, Mike, Guenther, Gus, Gerhard, Joe, Hans, and Manfred.

The sons came out victorious, winning the game 6 to 3.

The youngest Green White team, the Midget "B" team, also showed signs of things to come. Manager Simon Andres and trainer Stefan Laxgang reported in the Green White newsletter that the boys were improving every year and forming a very strong disciplined club. Among the goal scorers at that point of the season: Mike Andres, Mike Hrbacek, Richard Schneider, and Robert Klaus. Other players included Michael Blaas, Frank Schmalz, Markus Laxgang, Robert and Tony Bless, Walter Stadler, Nick Racz, and Mike Kraemer. Many of those names would make their mark at every stage of their Green White development.

Green White Women

The first Green White women's team took the field in 1971, coached by Klaus Kilian. One of the mainstays of that team was Maria Zimmer (photo), who remembers that time very fondly. "Our first game was against Schwaben," she recalls. "We formed a league a few years later with teams like the Chicago Kickers, Park Ridge Orange Crush, Real FC, Schwatben and a Hoffman Estates team. In those early years, I played in the midfield."



Green White Off the Field

President of Green White was Martin Schneider and the VP was Peter Hehn. The rest of the executive board was Alex Jordan—Treasurer, Eckhard Kaempfer—Secretary, Anton Kirschner—Protocol Secretary, Horst Melcher—General Manager. Among the other board members and coaches: Martin Rutterschmidt, Ottmar Scheer, Heinrich Bischoff, Franz Stadler, Mathias Kraemer, Otto Fladischer, Fritz Becker, Fred Feichtel, Adam Kessler, Helmut Jicha, Peter Berger, Adam Harjung, Christian Kidric, Franz Schmidt, Stefan Friedrich, Hans Kolleng, Josef Schuster, Heinrich Wittje.

The president of the women’s club was Sue Hauptmann (shown here with fellow board members Anni Scheer, Hilde Kaempfer, and Trude Stadler). The big event of the year was a family bowling night at Golf Mill bowling alley in May.

Miss Green White 1971 was Anni Richter. The 15th annivesary program book described her this way: "She came to the U.S in 1963, and became an active member of the Donauschwaben youth group, eventually becoming their president in 1969-1970. She attends the University of Illinois (circle campus), and is studying languages. She speaks German, English, French and Spanish!"

1971 Green White Babies

A bevy of future Green White players were born in 1971 including...Brian Bischoff, Greg Boltz, Keith Andersson, Chris Ryan and Les Rebbeck.


In Pop Culture

~The number one hit of the year was "Joy to the World"

~The top show on television was "All in the Family"

~The Best Picture Academy Award went to The French Connection


Elsewhere in 1971

~Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin became the first to ride in a lunar rover on the Moon.

~Evil Knieval set a record by jumping 19 cars with his motorcycle.

~The New York Times printed the Pentagon Papers.

~Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida.


COMING NEXT MONTH: 1972. The Green White youth program pays dividends.

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.

1970

In 1970 the National Soccer League expanded the Major Division from 8 teams to twelve. But after a few years of very solid play, Green White was a team in transition that year. Long time team captain Adam Kaempf was contemplating leaving the club. His brother Georg had already gone to the Kickers.

"I was listening to the German radio on a Saturday morning and the announcer Manfred Gursch said: 'Big news! Georg Kaempf has signed with the Kickers.' I said 'WHAT? That son of a gun didn't even tell me he was leaving. I still give him a hard time about that. My own brother, and I heard the news on the radio."

And, while some of the former mainstays were leaving or retiring or playing with the reserves, some of the young new stars were also away from the team, playing in college. The NCAA rules prohibited them from playing on a club team at the same time. So, players like Joe Laxgang, Nick Willer (photo), Leo Skorohod, and Johnny Woolfe gave it their all, but at the end of the season it wasn't quite enough. Green White was relegated back to the First Division.

Adam Kaempf made his farewell official at the end of the year. "Why did I leave Green White? You know, to be honest, trying to think back now what my reason was, I'm just not even sure anymore. I really loved the club. My wife was very involved with the women's club. The kids loved the clubhouse. I look back on that time as the best time of my life."


Green White Youth

While the men's team was struggling, the rest of the Green White teams were showing the older guys how it was done. The Junior team remained dominant, finishing in first place once again. In July, they took that team to Germany where they played against Ebingen, Tailfingen and Reutlingen.

The younger teams were following in the footsteps of the older boys. The midget boys "A" team, trained by Green White's first big star Stefan Laxgang, started off strong (beating teams like Hansa and Real F.C. 8-0 and 9-0), and they continued on that path all season. The midget "B" team coached by Simon Andres also played well.

The Green White youth system appeared to be stocked with enough good young players to keep them competitive for the next fifteen years.


Green White Off the Field

The Green White board was led by the husband-wife team of Matz and Joanne Kraemer. (Matz was the President of the men's club, while Joanne was the president of the Women's club.)

And while the men's team was in transition on the field, the board of directors for both the men's and women's side read like a Who's Who of Green White history. On the senior board, names like Martin Schneider, Josef Schuster, Eckhard Kaempfer, Alex Jordan, Horst Melcher, Martin Ruterschmidt, Fred Feichtel, Franz Stadler, Rudi Hrbacek, Adam Harjung, Toni Kirschner, Heinrich Bischoff, Ottmar Scheer, and Walter Melcher. On the women's board--Maria Zimmer, Hedy Klaus, Trudi Stadler, and Maria Blaas.

Green White didn't have to work at creating a family atmosphere, because they were a family. Even though most of the members no longer played soccer, the Green White games were still the hub of activity for the week. The families hung out together on the weekends.

There were 235 members of Green White in 1970, and nearly all of them still lived in Chicago. A few families had begun to move to the suburbs (in towns like Mt. Prospect, Des Plaines, Schiller Park, Niles, Bensenville, Morton Grove, Hoffman Estates, and Prospect Heights), but they still attended most of the Green White events.

(Photo: Mr. Green White Steve Zimmer entertaining the crowd at the Green White family picnic)

1970 Green White Babies

*Tony Melcher

*Future first team player Peter Kaempfer




*

*Tanja Feichtel








Elsewhere in soccer, 1970

The 1970 World Cup was held in Mexico, and is considered one of the all-time classics. The final four featured Brazil vs. Uruguay, and West Germany vs. Italy. Naturally the Green White crowd was following this closely. The Germany game was particularly exciting; considered by some to the be the greatest World Cup game ever. After 90 minutes the score was tied 1-1. Two goals were scored in injury time to make it 2-2. It went to into overtime and once again each team scored, making it 3-3. Italy finally scored a fourth goal in the 111th minute to win the game. Franz Beckenbauer played the last few minutes of the overtime session with a broken clavicle because both replacements had already entered the game.

Of course the real star of the 1970 World Cup was Pele. He led Brazil to their third World Cup title.


In Pop Culture

~The number one song of the year was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

~The most popular show on television was "Marcus Welby, M.D."

~The Academy Award winning film was "Patton" starring George C. Scott


Elsewhere in 1970

~Two consecutive days of huge snow storms crippled the city on March 25 and 26, among the ten worst back to back days of snow in Chicago history.

~Vietnam War protestors at Kent State University clashed with National Guard troops. The National Guard fired into the crowd, killing four, and wounding nine.

~The Beatles broke up after the release of their album "Let it Be"

~Ernie Banks hit his 500th career home run, and Hank Aaron & Willie Mays got their 3000th hits.

~Cigarette Ads were banned on television.


Coming next month: 1971. Green White celebrates its 15th 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.

1969

Coming off their strong 1968, Green White had high hopes for 1969. Manager Rudi Hrbacek's club got off to a good start, making it all the way to the finals of the Illinois Amateur Cup. Unfortunately, with player of the year John Woolfe hospitalized, and two of their other stars (Szabo and Mavric) classified as "pros" (and therefore, ineligible to play in the Amateur Cup), Green White fell one game short once again.

The Eagles won the Cup, 3-0.

But 1969 had a few memorable highlights, as well. Joe Laxgang (photo), a fixture on the team since the very beginning, played in his 500th game for Green White. Then, in August, Green White hosted a team from Germany; SC Reutlingen. Several members of the board took the Germans to Harry Kempf's "Treffpunkt" restaurant, and then escorted them to the Donauschwaben tournament to play Green White on the field. After a very close 2-1 Green White victory, SC Reutlingen gave special gifts to Green White members Peter Hehn, Josef Schuster, Matz Kraemer, Eckhard Kaempfer, and Martin Schneider to thank them for their hospitality.

At the end of the regular season, Green White was in the middle of the pack of the Major Division.


Green White Youth

But while the men's team was scuffling a bit, the Green White youth team had a season for the ages; simply one of the most dominant seasons in Chicago soccer history. The goal differential for Green White's Junior team was a sickening 200:4 in 26 games. They easily defeated the Liths 6-0 in the city championship game.

The star player of that team was Hansi Mayer. Hansi scored an astounding 61 goals.

Trainer Fritz Fernbach (photo) also took the boys to training camp that season in Genoa City. According to the Green White newsletter, the boys did something better than excel at soccer there. They behaved well...

"Our boys made a great impression--the people running the camp were very impressed by their good behavior, especially since the last few teams that came there from Milwaukee and Chicago (including, sadly, some our fellow German clubs) had to be sent home after one night for bad behavior. Our boys represented Green White with honor."

Unfortunately, not all of the Green White youth were quite as upstanding. It appears that there was a bit of an issue at the New Years Eve party. The Green White newsletter reported the news this way...

"Because the price was $10 for all you can eat or drink, a few of the youth members from the Donauschaben took a little advantage of the situation, if you know what I mean, and this caused some problems. We’ll have to be more careful in the future."


Green White Off the Field

The women's club led by Julie Kaempf (Pres), Stella Polaretzki (VP), Martha Hrbacek (Sec), Maria Zimmer (Rec. Sec) and Maria Blaas (Treas) kept the club hopping. They had all sorts of events for the kids and the grown ups.

In March they organized two outings; a bowling night, and a dinner at the Bismark Hotel followed by a Blackhawks game at the Stadium (against the Maple Leafs). In April they put on a special Western-themed dance, where all the good German cowboys and cowgirls dressed in traditional Wild West costumes. In July, they took all the kids to a Ladies Day game at Wrigley Field. (Little Ricky Kaempfer kept his scorecard that day. The Cubs beat the Pirates 7-5, and four future Hall of Famers homered; Stargell, Clemente, Williams, & Santo). On July 26th, the same week Neil Armstrong took his one giant leap for mankind, the Green White ladies helped the men organize a big picnic/pig roast at Rock Lake.

But those activities paled in achievement to the collective accomplishment of four Miss Green Whites. Julie Hehn (1966), Ingrid Winterkorn (1967), Marianne Oswald (1968), and Annie Schuster (1969) formed a singing group called "Das Heimatquartett". They released an album on IRC Records which got quite a bit of airplay on the German radio stations. IRC Records is the same record label that recorded Green White's house band (Die Goldene Drei), and some famous radio personalities in Chicago, including Dick Biondi ("The Pizza Song") and WGN's Franklyn MacCormack ("Why Do I Love You").


Green White Babies

The Gyurko (photo), Laxgang, Polaretzki, Jordan, Harjung, Franz, Scheer, Albrecht, and Kilian families all had baby girls in 1969.

The Filian, Schlenhardt, Melcher, Wambach, and Skorohod families bucked the trend by having boys (Norbert, Tom, Kurt, James, Paul).






In Pop Culture

~The number one hit of the year was "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In" by The Fifth Dimension.

~The number one show on television was still "Rowan & Martin's: Laugh In"

~And the Academy Award winning film in 1969 was "Midnight Cowboy"



Elsewhere in 1969

~Green White's own Nick Wirs returned from his tour of duty in Vietnam, but while he was gone, public opinion had changed. That summer 250,000 people marched on Washington to protest the war.

~The John Hancock Building was completed in Chicago. The Green White logo was changed to incorporate it.

~In August, the Woodstock Music Festival was held in upstate New York. Among the performers; Joan Baez, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, The Band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Jimi Hendrix.

~Charles Manson and his crazed followers went on a murder spree in California.

~Edward Kennedy was involved in the death of woman in what became known as the Chappaquiddick Affair.

-Two Iconic television shows debuted: "Sesame Street" and "Monty Python's Flying Circus".


Next month: 1970

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.