The Skyhawks managed to obtain the services of the renowned Ron Newman as their head coach, and he assembled a roster consisting of a number of young players from England's second and third divisions. Many of these players also had some limited first division experience; players such as goalkeeper Brian Parkinson, Midfielder Tony "Wheels" Whelan, Jimmy Rolland, and forward Jimmy "the Price" Hinch, were the stars of the team. In addition, U.S. college player of the yearSteve Ralbovsky spurned the N.A.S.L. and signed with the Skyhawks. The defense was anchored by 38-year-old sweeper and former Scottish International Ron Yeats, a veteran of the English First Division, where he was Liverpool's captain when Liverpool rose to glory in the 1960s. Hinch ended up as the A.S.L.'s leading scorer and Parkinson had the lowest goals against average among A.S.L. goalkeepers. Led by these stars and a strong supporting cast, the Skyhawks had the league's best record and regularly drew upwards of 4,000 fans per game, easily leading the ASL in attendance. The 1976 ASL playoff format had the top 3 teams in each division qualifying for the playoffs, with the 1st place teams earning a first round bye while the 2nd place team hosted the 3rd place team. After earning a first round bye, the Skyhawks faced the 2nd place Tacoma Tides, who had defeated Utah 2-1 in the first round. The Skyhawks took a 1-0 lead, but midway through the second half, goalkeeper Brian Parkinson suffered a head injury in a collision, and Tacoma equalized against backup keeper Marine Cano to force overtime. Facing the prospect of going into a penalty kick shootout without their #1 keeper, the Skyhawks won the game in the second 10-minute overtime period on a goal by Jimmy Rolland. In the ASL championship game, the Skyhawks faced Eastern Division winner and defending champion New York Apollo. Over 9,000 fans showed up at Birmingham Stadium and saw the Skyhawks fall behind early, 1-0. Then late in the first half, Skyhawk defender Alty McKenzie was controversially sent off with a red card so L.A. had to play a man down the remainder of the game. But Hinch equalized early in the second half, and late in the game Ralbovsky was tripped from behind in the penalty area while on a breakaway. Skyhawk forward Ane Mihailovich buried the penalty kick into the back of the net past N.Y. keeper Gerard Joseph, and the Skyhawks were ASL champs, making Ron Newman the only man to coach an ASL and NASL champion. Hinch was named MVP, and Newman was coach of the year.
Roster
1977 Season
The Skyhawks were again led offensively by Jimmy Hinch and Jimmy Rolland and in goal by Brian Parkinson. While they couldn't duplicate their dominance of the 1976 season, they finished 2nd in the West and 4th overall with 13 wins, 4 draws, and 7 defeats. After a 3-2 first round playoff win over the California Sunshine, they lost to Western Division champion Sacramento in the Western Division playoff finals, 2-1.
Roster
1978 Season
By 1978, the ASL was in severe financial difficulty, with every team losing money. On the field, the Skyhawks, led by ASL leading scorer and MVP Jimmy Rolland and goalkeeper Brian Parkinson, returned to the top of the Western Division and with a record of 17-6-1. They made it to the championship game for the 2nd time in 3 years, but lost in the final, 1-0 to the New York Apollo, who had the league's best record at 18-5-1.
Roster
1979 Season
The Skyhawks lost much of their scoring punch with the departures of Jimmy Hinch and Jim Rolland. Despite it all, the Skyhawks managed to place 3rd in the West with a 13-11-4 record. But the season ended with a first round playoff loss to Sacramento by a score of 3-2, in what proved to be the final Skyhawk game ever. The Skyhawks also played a friendly that season in Los Angeles Jackie Robinson Stadium against the 1980 US Men's Olympic Team in March losing the match 2-1. Due to financial difficulties, the team folded at the end of the 1979 season.
