Three Stars Inducted into Baltimore Blast Hall of Fame
November 26, 2003 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Baltimore Blast News Release
Baltimore, MD â The Baltimore Blast announced today the inception of the Baltimore Blast Hall of Fame and the first three inductees. Original Blast Head Coach Kenny Cooper will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on January 10 along with Stan Stamenkovic and Mike Stankovic. The three Baltimore legends will be honored in a ceremony during the Blast game against the Dallas Sidekicks on January 10.
"I am pleased to announce the formation of a Baltimore Blast Hall of Fame," said Blast Owner Ed Hale. "The Hall of Fame is a long time in the making and these players will be forever remembered by a banner that will hang from the rafters of 1st Mariner Arena as well as a display in the lobby of the Tower I am building in Canton."
Cooper, the long-time coach of the original Baltimore Blast, and Stankovic, one of Baltimore's best-known players, will take part in the festivities on January 10. Stamenkovic, who passed away in 1996 after retiring from professional play and returning to Yugoslavia, will also be honored.
Stan Stamenkovic:
Stan "the Magician" Stamenkovic played four seasons for the original Blast and remains a legend among Baltimore's soccer community. Stamenkovic tallied 329 points in 179 Blast games and is Baltimore's original all-time leading scorer. A six-year veteran of the MISL, Stamenkovic was a four-time All Star, a three-time Blast MVP and the MVP of the 1983-84 season after leading Baltimore to its first MISL Championship. Though retired from professional play, he was named to the Baltimore Blast All Decade Team during the 1990-91 season.
Mike Stankovic:
Six-time MISL All Star Mike Stankovic finished his original Blast career with 301 points to rank third on Baltimore's original all-time points list. After nine seasons with the original Blast and a spot on the All-Time MISL Team, he went on to coach and play for the Baltimore Spirit and still ranks 13th in points on Baltimore's current all-time list with 219 points in six seasons with the Spirit. A native of Yugoslavia who still lives in the Baltimore area, Stankovic played for Coach Cooper and was a teammate of Stamenkovic's on the 1983-84 MISL Championship team.
Kenny Cooper:
Known for his positive thinking and motivational speeches, Kenny Cooper coached the original Blast from 1980-1992 then coached the Baltimore Spirit from 1992-1994. Cooper led the original Blast to five division titles, five championship appearances and the franchise's first MISL Championship in 1983-84. A native of Blackpool, England, Cooper was a two-time MISL Coach of the Year and currently resides in Dallas.
The Blast (5-3, second in the Eastern Division), is on the road this week with a game tomorrow night in St. Louis and Friday night in Cleveland. The Blast will return to 1st Mariner Arena on December 6 to host the Milwaukee Wave for the first home rematch of the 2003 Championship. Single-game tickets cost $20, $17 and $14 and are on sale now at the 1st Mariner Arena Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 410-481-SEAT or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Group discounts are available for all games. For additional information on all Blast tickets, call the Blast office at 410-73-BLAST.
BALTIMORE BLAST HALL OF FAME QUOTE AND FACT SHEET Inception of Baltimore Blast Hall of Fame:
· The Baltimore Blast played its first season in 1980-81 and is in its 24th season in Baltimore
· Two MISL Championships â 1983-84 and 2002-03
· Six Championship appearances â 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1988-89, 1989-90, 2002-03
· More than 200 players have played in Baltimore since 1980-81
"I am pleased to announce the formation of a Baltimore Blast Hall of Fame," said Blast Owner Ed Hale. "The Hall of Fame is a long time in the making and these players will be forever remembered by a banner that will hang from the rafters of 1st Mariner Arena as well as a display in the lobby of the Tower I am building in Canton."
Stan Stamenkovic:
· Stan "the Magician" Stamenkovic known for his magical dribbling and passing skills
· played four seasons for the original Blast (1983-86, 1987-88)
· remains a legend among Baltimore's soccer community
· Stamenkovic tallied 329 points in 179 Blast games
· Baltimore's original all-time leading scorer
· A six-year veteran of the MISL, four-time All Star, three-time Blast MVP and the MVP of the 1983-84
· led Baltimore to its first MISL Championship in 1983-84
· named to the Baltimore Blast All Decade Team during the 1990-91 season
· a native of Yugoslavia
· passed away at age 39 in 1996
"I never had the pleasure of meeting him but to this day the fans still acknowledge that Stan is the greatest player to play in Baltimore," Hale said.
Mike Stankovic:
· Six-time MISL All Star
· finished his original Blast career with 301 points to rank third on Baltimore's original all-time points list
· played nine seasons with the original Blast
· named to the All-Time MISL Team
· coached and played for the Baltimore Spirit
· still ranks 13th in points on Baltimore's current all-time list with 219 points in six seasons with the Spirit
· a native of Yugoslavia; still lives in the Baltimore area
· played for Coach Cooper and was a teammate of Stamenkovic's on the 1983-84 MISL Championship team.
"He had tremendous skill and was the enforcer for the team," said Hale. "When it came to the trade from Wichita to Baltimore, it was the best trade I was ever involved in."
Kenny Cooper:
· known for his positive thinking and motivational speeches
· coached the original Blast from 1980-1992
· coached the Baltimore Spirit from 1992-1994
· led the original Blast to five division titles, five championship appearances and the franchise's first MISL Championship in 1983-84
· a two-time MISL Coach of the Year
· a native of Blackpool, England; currently resides in Dallas.
"Kenny put the Blast on the map in Baltimore," Hale said. "He made Blast games the place to be and was a promoter of the sport without peer."
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