Mr. T Brings His Energy – and Some History – to Chicago Fire

The Chicago Sting had a special assignment for Mr. T: kick a soccer ball and make it explode.

Decades before his invitation to “sound the alarm” at a Chicago Fire game this Wednesday, the famed bodyguard-turned-actor appeared at old Comiskey Park. It was 1981, and the original Chicago Sting were at the peak of their powers in the North American Soccer League.

“I was invited to the Sting, and they had a gimmick for me,” Mr. T recalled to MIR97 Media in an exclusive interview last week. “(They said,) ‘Okay, this what we want to do.’ So we went to Comiskey Park. They had made a special ball for me. They said, ‘Okay, you’re going to kick the ball and the ball is going to explode.’”

The Sting were at the height of their relevance in 1981, drawing more than 30,000 fans for some games and boasting some of the city’s biggest stars of that era, such as Karl-Heinz Granitza and Pato Margetic. Mr. T visited the Sting again three years later, in 1984. This time, at Wrigley Field, he once again spoke with players, although without the same theatrics as his first visit.

On the second occasion, one familiar face was on the roster: a teenage Frank Klopas, signed straight out of high school. The only player to feature for both the Sting and Fire, Klopas played with his hometown team during the final NASL outdoor season when Mr. T came to watch them at Wrigley.

“Back then, the Sting in ’81 and ’84, we had huge personalities,” Klopas said this week. “And then you bring another big personality, and it was great. But this guy was like, bigger than life. And to have him there, especially with the big, big personalities with the Sting, it just was incredible.”

Last Thursday, the A-Team and Rocky III star returned to Chicago soccer in a very different setting. Rather than turning up at baseball venues tweaked to accommodate soccer, he arrived at the Fire’s state-of-the-art, purpose-built downtown training center. Mr. T toured the facility and greeted players and staff alike.

On Wednesday, ahead of the Fire’s meeting with Orlando City, he will “sound the alarm” before kickoff, hoping to excite the fans just as he did several decades ago.

“I feel like a kid going through all this stuff,” Mr. T said after his tour of the training center. “But the fact that it is the Chicago team. I try to support them, so I can get a chance to meet a lot of soccer fans here in Chicago and meet some of the players. This is exciting to me, I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

Mr. T’s presence was felt by everyone in the building on Thursday, not least the players and coaches. Following training, he spoke to a group that included members of both the first and second teams, taking time to greet them as well.

Although the height of his global fame came before most of the current Fire players were born, that did not stop the likes of Robert Lewandowski and André Franco from excitedly posing for photos.

“You saw Mr. T everywhere; this guy was like a superhero, and then he was here,” Klopas said. “He just seems like a very positive guy, really always smiling. He wanted to come and speak to the team and tell this story a little bit about where he came from.”

“I think it was genuine because he wanted to. I know he’s sounding the alarm on Wednesday, which is great to have him as a local guy from Chicago. Local celebrity. It ties together how he was part of the ’81 team.”

“He’s a really humble, down to earth guy. Easy to connect with, easy to speak to. He took time with all the guys, especially some of the older guys that watched the A-Team, even the European guys, they were starstruck a little.”

Mr. T will look to give the Fire a boost when they face Orlando City on Wednesday. The game will be an important one for the Men in Red as they look to finish the regular season strongly and set the tone for what they hope will be a run toward MLS Cup.

Although the team still has plenty of work to do before winning silverware this season, history may be on their side. After Mr. T’s visits in 1981 and 1984, the Sting went on to win their only two NASL titles – a connection the Fire will hope brings them some fortune in 2026.

“Hopefully some of that luck rubs off with us this year to have him,” Klopas said.