1996-97 Buffalo Blizzard Roster
National Professional Soccer League (NPSL)
Team Record: 21-19
in the NPSL's North Division
Postseason: 0-2
Lost Conference Semifinal
Coach: Gary Hindley (16-16)
Coach: Jim May (5-3)
Location: Buffalo, New York
Attendance: 159,472, Avg. 7,974 in 20 home dates
1996-97 Buffalo Blizzard StatisticsTeam Record: 21-19
in the NPSL's North Division
Postseason: 0-2
Lost Conference Semifinal
Coach: Gary Hindley (16-16)
Coach: Jim May (5-3)
Location: Buffalo, New York
Attendance: 159,472, Avg. 7,974 in 20 home dates
The Buffalo Blizzard of the National Professional Soccer League ended the 1996-97 season with a record of 21 wins and 19 losses in the NPSL's North Division. The team compiled a postseason mark of 0-2.
Buffalo netted 278 goals and conceded 237. Doug Miller scored 53 goals for the Blizzard, while Andrew Crawford, Gino DiFlorio, Randy Pikuzinski, Rudy Pikuzinski and Marco Rizi each tallied fifteen or more, too. Randy Pikuzinski recorded 49 assists. Pat Harrington topped the squad with 14 wins and a team-best 4.79 goals against average, pacing goalkeepers with enough qualifying appearances.
Gary Hindley and Jim May coached the team. The 1996-97 Buffalo Blizzard lost in the Conference Semifinal.
Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Pos. | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Ashton | M | September 5, 1974 | 5'10" | 170 | |
| David Banks | D | December 17, 1967 | 5'11" | 170 | Wigan, England |
| Mauro Biello | F | August 8, 1972 | 5'9" | 145 | Montreal, QC |
| Chuck Codd | D | ||||
| Michael Collins | D,M | November 17, 1961 | 5'10" | 160 | Hicksville, NY |
| Andrew Crawford | |||||
| Fuseini Dauda | D | May 29, 1975 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Gino DiFlorio | F | September 18, 1964 | 5'9" | 155 | Naples, Italy |
| Chris Fox | July 30, 1974 | 5'10" | 172 | Marietta, GA | |
| Pat Harrington | G | April 17, 1965 | 6'3" | 190 | Montreal, QC |
| John Howard | G | ||||
| Steve Kinsey | F | January 2, 1963 | 5'10" | 143 | Manchester, England |
| Ted Lesh | |||||
| Ryan Levesque | May 8, 1974 | ||||
| Andrew McKay | M | 5'8" | 165 | ||
| Doug Miller | F | May 5, 1969 | 5'8" | 158 | Newark, NJ |
| Grant Needham | F | July 14, 1970 | 5'9" | 145 | Liverpool, England |
| Kevin O'Neil | |||||
| Dino Perri | G | ||||
| Randy Pikuzinski | F | June 6, 1965 | 5'6" | 130 | Buffalo, NY |
| Rudy Pikuzinski | F | June 6, 1965 | 5'9" | 156 | Buffalo, NY |
| Rene Rivas | D | October 18, 1968 | 6'0" | 180 | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Marco Rizi | D | September 15, 1968 | 6'1" | 185 | Toronto, ON |
| Mark Simpson | G | March 18, 1966 | 6'0" | 175 | Cincinnati, OH |
| Lenin Steenkamp | F | September 9, 1969 | 5'11" | 195 | Durban, South Africa |
