In 1976 a Junior United Soccer Association league was forming in East Anaheim. I was not available to go to the first meeting so my wife went and volunteered me to manage or coach. I think one motivation was that the practice field was about 250 feet from our back door. I had watched many adult soccer games on the adjacent 300 acres of fields, parks and school playgrounds although I had never played the game.

1976 COYOTES

Roster from a copy of a letter of August 20, 1976.

• Steve Trull, Manager
• Joe Nix, Head Coach, top row far left
  
• Skip Farnsworth, Assistant Coach, top row far right
  
• Dan Flessel, standing fourth from right
• Steve Coakley standing second from right
  
• Andy Nix, far left first row.
  
• Doug Aagesen
• Brett Johnson, 2nd from left front row
  
• Earl Farnsworth hands on the right side of the Coyotes sign
  
• Jeff Olave, standing second from left, provided this picture
  
• Richard Pierce
• Wink King, standing far left.
  
• Randy Pearcy
• Mason Sharp
• Steve Trull (jr)

The Coyotes of 1977, Division 5.
I had extraordinary assistance from Skip Farnsworth, Mitch Caldwell and Brad Harker with some other parents doing very well in helping, Louise Pudvah, Team Mother and Bill King, Game Co-ordinator.

My employment was 18 miles away so Brad Harker would start the practice with drills, then Mitch Caldwell would have them running so that when I arrived we could organize tactis, shooting and game drills.

The roster

• Colin Caldwell
• Marc Caldwell
• Earl Farnsworth
• Randy Pearcy
• Andy Nix
• John Waterhouse
• Brett Johnson
• Brad Harker (Jr)
• Dean Pudvah
• Tony Pastorello
• Billy Marks
• Wink King
• Brian Ames
• Ricky Pierce

All the boys were born in 1968-69. I don't recall the won lost record nor much care. I do know the team was well organized and competitive.

I have a roster for a team which based on Jeff Johnson's email I'd say it's Coyotes 1978.  I know my son Andy played for four years.

• Brett Bentley
• Patrick Dorn
• Jim Ellis
• Steve Enyeart
• Max Flores
• Brad Harker
• Jeff Johnson (emailed me Feb '03, still playing in Yorba Linda)
• Jerome Nellesen
• Andy Nix
• Tom Roper
• Charles Simpson
• Chris Swanson
• John Walden
• Dean Zrinski

1978 I co coached with Jaime Andrade, his son was the goal keeper.
 

Via some of the coaches in the league I learned of an adult soccer league in I think it's second year, sponsored by the Yorba Linda YMCA so I joined a team. I had studied the game intensively in order to coach and of course it has some similarity to hockey, ice, street and field. The football only experience guys had a lot of unlearning to do.

I have a 1979-80 roster for my team, the SKYHAWKS of the Central League.

• Walter Chapman, 38, Anaheim
• James Fagan, 31, Anaheim
• Mike Gulan, 30, Anaheim
• Brooks Jones, 37, Yorba Linda
• Palle Nielsen, 50, Orange
• Douglas Weber, 33, Placentia
• John Navarro, 30, Fullerton
• Joseph Nix, 47, Anaheim
• Michael Hore, 25, Anaheim
• Brad Ackles, 26, zip 92801
• Ron Jenkins, 29, Anaheim
• Frank Wehner, 31, Yorba Linda
• Walter Abbott, 38, Yorba Linda
• Dan Henry, 38, Anaheim
• Andrew Duarte, 34, La Habra
• Ray Wooliever, 36, Anaheim
• Joe Sanguinet, 40, 732 phone prefix

1978 Renegades of the Coast League, a team of which I recall a great deal more than the Skyhawks. We won the league championship at least one year. Coaches were Jaime Andrade with whom I also coached our sons JUSA soccer team and James Reeves. Managers were Elene Andrade and Nancy Reeves.

The roster:

• Jaime Andrade, Anaheim, front right side of sign
  
• Luis Andrade, Anaheim, front second from right
  
• Bob Conley, Anaheim
• Dave Etter, Yorba Linda, top row middle
  
• Ed Hernandez, Yorba Linda top row far right
  
• Lou Maack, Anahem
• Don McCay, Anaheim
• Joe Nix, Anaheim, second row, second from right
  
• Larry Reeves, second row far left
  
• James Reeves, Yorba Linda, front far right
  
• Denny Robinson, Placentia
• Wendell Rouse, Fullerton
• Jerry Sanchez, front second from left
  
• Gary Van
• Fernando Teran, Placentia front left side of sign
  

And another undated roster for the Renegades, same as above with the following changes:

• Names added: Nick Cruz, Yorba Linda, John Nystul, Yorba Linda, Bob Flores top row second from right
  
• Names not listed: Gary Van

We practised two nights a week and all games were on Sunday afternoons in Yorba Linda. Jaime Andrade had played top level in Ecuador and led the team well in learning skills and developing tactics. We had a ball. Luis Andrade and Fernando Teran were related to Jaime and also had high level US soccer experience. I played forward with them causing the other team to assume I was on the field just to get in my playing time, wheras we had spent hours working pass off drills, corner kicks, slide tackles, etc. Since the other three had excellent shots or 'kicks' and I knew which distance and angle was best for each of them, my job was to get the ball and pretend I was going to shoot and I would hear a whisper coming up from behind me, 'Joe', one of my team  coming up to take the shot. Since I was older than most I also would feign overexertion so the man I was covering would assume I was slacking off going after the ball. On one memorable occasion I slid ahead of a much younger guy into the corner and from the ground lofted the ball in front for a goal by my team mates. I always had my substitute ready to come on the field with a signal from me. We had free substitution in this league.