In the late 1990s, Eddie Horn was looking to strengthen the schedule for the Jefferson City Jays boys soccer team.
And so the Art Firley Shootout was born.
"I knew we had to find a hook to start playing the top teams," Horn said.
The Shootout annually brings some of the top teams in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas to the 179 Soccer Park for two days of competition.
Rockhurst had been part of Jefferson City's regular-season schedule for several years, but getting St. Louis teams on the slate proved to be difficult.
But that changed when the Jays advanced to the Final Four in 1998.
"That got me into St. Louis and suddenly, people thought about coming out," Horn said. "So I used a game against Rockhurst, who already had agreed to come, as bait to get the good St. Louis schools to come and play midway in the state.
"And then, as long as they were coming anyway, I could get in on that, too."
Perhaps the most memorable game in the history of the Shootout is one that didn't play the full 80 minutes.
In 2001, Chaminade and Rockhurst were set to play on a Saturday. Chaminade entered the game undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country.
"It might have been the best team Chaminade ever had, they were loaded," Horn said.
It started raining during warmups, but it was decided to start the game. And it kept raining as the game got to halftime.
"It was coming down heavier and heavier, getting borderline dangerous," Horn said. "Rockhurst had scored a goal to take the lead and you can't stop a game when the No. 1 team in the nation is down 1-0 at the half."
But then concerns about player safety took over.
"So we thought we'd just stop it at half, nobody wins, let's just call it," Horn said.
Horn and then-Jefferson City athletic director Tim Thompson got together with the Chaminade and Rockhurst coaches.
"We talked about how we didn't want anybody to get hurt, we knew they were going to play for the state title later anyway, let's just call the game," Horn said. "And everybody agreed."
Except after everybody left ...
"We got out the rule book and it says if it gets to halftime, it has to count as a complete game," Horn said.
Final - Rockhurst 1, Chaminade 0.
"I had to call Chaminade and tell them they lost," Horn said. "They dropped out of the No. 1 spot and didn't win the national title."
But the story does have a happy ending. Chaminade went on to win the Class 3 state championship against Oakville, not Rockhurst, before winning the state and national titles the next season.
"Surprisingly, Chaminade still comes back," Horn said.
The event is named for the late Art Firley, who bought the land and built the fields and hired people to work at the 179 Soccer Park.
"I felt we owed it to Art to keep his name alive," Horn said. "It's a great way to keep his name in front of the soccer community."
Related: