[1][2] The football club from Little Rome[3] was founded in 1961 as CIL Blaj, coinciding with the opening of the Combinatul de Industrializare a Lemnului (lit.

The club reached the Round of 16 in the 1963–64 season of Cupa României, defeating Chimica Târnăveni 2–0, Gaz Metan Mediaș 2–1, Rapid Târgu Mureș 2–0 and managing one of the biggest surprises in Romanian Cup history by eliminating Petrolul Ploiești 1–0 (a.e.t.

The stay in Divizia C was short, as Târnavele ranked last in Series XI the following season and were relegated back to the fourth division.

However, Târnavele quickly returned to the third division, winning the Alba County Championship again in the 1985–86 season and beating CFR Arad, the Arad County Championship winner, in the promotion play-off with a 5–1 aggregate score (3–1 away, 2–0 at home).

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.