Wings Star Chico Borja’s Legend Lives On After Death

Former Wichita Wings indoor soccer team all-star midfielder Hernan “Chico” Borja, 61, died Thursday after a long battle with cancer. Borja starred for Kansas’ first major league sports team from 1985 to 1987 and 1988 to 1994.

Borja was the Wings all-time leader in assists and fourth in goals scored. He led the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) in assists during the 1988-89 season.

With 30 career game-winning goals, second-most in team history, Borja grew to become one of the most popular players on the team. Known as the “American Dream,” Borja’s winning smile won over the members of the Orange Army, the Wings’ fan club.

“He always had time for kids, in the locker room and outside of it. Anybody who was there, he made them feel important,” said longtime Wings coach Roy Turner.

Though Borja had been fighting cancer for several years, his death came as a blow to former teammates and coaches. “It threw me for a loop. It hurt,” Turner said.

“When I heard, I burst into tears. Too young,” said longtime Wings defender and coach Terry Nicholl.

Born in Quito, Ecuador, Borja immigrated to New Jersey with his family at the age of 12. He rose to prominence as a soccer player at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he became an NCAA first-team All-American.

“A terrific player and personality. I thought by this point he would be governor of New Jersey,” said former Wings general manager Bill Kentling.

Borja went on to play for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League where he played alongside the legendary Italian star Giorgio Chinaglia. Borja was selected for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1984 and would play in all three of the team’s games.

The Wings attempted to acquire Borja, Mike Fox and Jorge Espinoza when the Las Vegas Americans folded at the end of the 1984-85 season. The acquisition was contested by the Pittsburgh Spirit, who claimed they had the rights to the three players.

“I immediately sent in a check to the league office, claiming Borja, knowing that because the league always needed money, they would immediately deposit the check. So I knew we’d have the best claim,” Kentling said.

MISL commissioner Frank Dale would award the trio to the Wings. Apart from a one-year stint playing for Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss and his LA Lazers, Borja would spend the rest of his indoor soccer career in Wichita.

Borja became known for his enthusiastic goal celebrations during his time with the Wings. Nicholl said Borja gave as much joy to his teammates as he did to the fans.

“His response for scoring the goal was almost as exciting as the goal itself,” Turner said.

Borja’s skill with the ball, both as a scorer and a passer, was legendary.

“He was always liable to do something special, just like Erik Rasmussen,” Nicholl said.

His competitive spirit was fierce. Sammy Lane played with Borja near the end of the all-star’s career. He said that Borja demanded the best from his teammates.

“He made all the younger players realize just how important the Wings were and how hard you had to practice if you wanted to succeed,” Lane said.

That excitability and passion went both ways. His fiery temper led to 221 career penalty minutes, second-most in Wings history.

“When he got out of the penalty box, you better watch out,” Turner said.

In 2016, 30 years after his heyday as a soccer player, now gray-haired fans mobbed Borja at the book launch for Make This Town Big: The Story of Roy Turner and the Wichita Wings. There was a similar reaction four years later at the premiere of the documentary film God Save the Wings and at Borja’s enshrinement in the Wichita Wings Hall of Fame that same weekend.

“He was a great ambassador for the Wings, the city and the game. He was a family man and a man of God,” Turner said.

After retirement as a professional athlete, Borja was involved in coaching soccer at numerous levels, including a stint with the Kansas City Wizards, now known as Sporting KC. He then became a school administrator and eventually settled in Florida, where he lived until his death.

Borja’s daughter Brianna Borja, 26, said though he is gone physically, his spirit lives on in everyone who knows him. “I will carry his love within my heart everywhere I go. He taught me how to love through his selfless acts, creating such a beautiful life for our family. Everything he did was for us and it is my purpose to continue that legacy of love,” Brianna said.