Chicago Storm to Retire Karl-Heinz Granitza\'s #12 on April 3 as Part of Legends Night
March 23, 2005 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Chicago Storm News Release
Chicago (Wednesday, March 23, 2005) â The Chicago Storm announced today that they will retire Chicago soccer legend Karl-Heinz Granitza's number 12 in a ceremony on April 3 after the Chicago Soccer Legends Game at 4:30 p.m. CT and prior to the Storm taking on the St. Louis Steamers at the UIC Pavilion.
"I am so excited for this ceremony," said Granitza, who is currently the Storm's General Sales Manager. "The Storm is a wonderful organization and I am very thankful to (Storm Chairman and CEO) Viktor (Jakovljevic) and Mitre (Kutanovski) for doing this. I was very fortunate to come to Chicago and become successful in such a great city. I love this city and I am so proud to be tied to its sports history."
Granitza remains one of the all-time greatest players in the history of the country and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY in 2003. The Lünen, Germany native led the Sting to two North American Soccer League (NASL) Championships (1981 and 1984). He totaled 141 goals and 116 assists with the Sting in the NASL. Upon the team's move indoors, Granitza totaled 324 goals and 280 assists in the NASL and MISL from 1980â87. He was named head coach and also played for the Chicago Power of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) from 1988-90. He compiled a coaching record of 39-34 with the Power.
"We are proud to retire Karl-Heinz Granitza's jersey," said Storm President Mitre Kutanovski. "Karl has had a significant impact on soccer in Chicago and the United States and this ceremony will commemorate his outstanding career. We are proud to have Karl as a member of the Storm family and we are excited to raise his famous number 12 to the rafters."
The Chicago Storm will be hosting their first annual Chicago Legends Game on Sunday, April 3 at 4:30 p.m. CT, prior to the Storm's match against the St. Louis Steamers at 6:00 p.m. CT at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The teams will feature stars from the Chicago Sting, Fire, Power, Horizon and Shoccers. For more information please call the Chicago Storm at (312) 226-GOAL (4625).
Individual tickets are available and range in price from $8 to $25 and can be purchased by calling the Storm's front office (312) 226-GOAL (4625), Ticketmaster (312) 559-1212 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Fans can also purchase individual tickets at the UIC box office located on 525 South Racine, Chicago, IL 60607. The box office is open from 12:00 noon until 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Formed on June 3, 2004, the Chicago Storm became the seventh team in the MISL, joining the two-time defending champion Baltimore Blast, Cleveland Force, Kansas City Comets, Milwaukee Wave, Philadelphia Kixx and St. Louis Steamers. The California Cougars will join the league for the start of the 2005-06 season to bring the leagues total to eight teams. Storm home games are played at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The Storm front office is located at 411 South Sangamon, Suite B in Chicago. For more information on the Storm, please call (312) 226-GOAL (4625) or log on to www.ChicagoStorm.net.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 23, 2005
- Steamers are back in action at Savvis Center - St. Louis Steamers
- MISL Announces Disciplinary Action - MISL 2
- MISL weekly - MISL 2
- Chicago Storm to Retire Karl-Heinz Granitza's #12 on April 3 as Part of Legends Night - Chicago Storm
- Force looks to kick into second place - Cleveland Force
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