Bob Becker, the owner of Great Plains Corporation, an oil marketing operation, agreed to fund the new team.
[2] Becker hired Roy Turner as head coach and brought in Ward Lawrence to help oversee operations.
Ward Lawrence took over as general manager and Becker brought in Ray Denton to help run day-to-day operations.
Former Manchester United forward Jimmy Ryan and Argentinian phenom Omar Gomez anchored the team's offense.
Later in the season, the team added former Manchester United winger Willie Anderson and forward Andy Chapman.
Chapman had signed with Arsenal at age 16 and would become a fan favorite in Wichita, becoming the fifth leading scorer in Wings history.
A victory propelled the Wings into the semifinals, where they would lose the first two games of a three-game series against the Houston Summit.
Fans and civic leaders began a campaign to sell season tickets for the next year, with hopes that this would help convince a new owner that the people of Wichita wanted to keep the Wings.
On April 16, 1980, it was announced that Pizza Hut co-founder Frank Carney and a group of investors would buy the team.
Frank Carney brought Bill Kentling with him from Pizza Hut to take over the role of general manager.
Kentling had previously served as Director of Corporate Communications at Pizza Hut and, prior to that, the vice-president of the National Baseball Congress.
Bundesliga veteran Jorgen Kristensen and a young talent named Kim Røntved made a huge impact on the team.
The team's popularity increased in the 1980-81 season in part due to a controversy involving the San Francisco Fog's forward Mike Mancini.
On December 28, 1980, in a Wings blowout win, Mancini punched Jorgen Kristensen hard enough to drop him to the ground.
Sheffield United alum Terry Nicholl became known as "The General" during his time in Wichita due to his ability to coach on the field.
The Danish connection continued to bear fruit as the Wings added midfielder Frank Rasmussen to the squad.
[2] Omar Gomez returned to the Wings for the 1982-83 season, after spending time playing for the New York Arrows.
Kim's older brother, Per Rontved, the former Danish national team captain, joined the Wings as well.
Danish sensation Erik Rasmussen earned his nickname, "The Wizard," due to his dynamic abilities on the ball.
The departure of Mike Dowler to the Tacoma Stars resulted in a pair of new goalkeepers joining the Wings.
Englishman Barry Wallace, Scotsman Dave Hoggan, and Californian Mike Fox joined the team that season.
Borja would become a star from the midfield position, becoming the all-time Wings assist leader by the end of his career.
When Kentling went to the new league headquarters in New York City, it was decided that Roy Turner was the logical choice to replace him.
The team convinced Scottish legend Charlie Cooke, the "Bonnie Prince," to fill Turner's shoes.
In 1986-87, the Wings added the young forward Mark Kerlin from Arizona and the Welsh superstar Mickey Thomas of Chelsea and Manchester United fame.
Former US Olympian Jean Willrich and longtime indoor pro Mike Stankovic also joined the squad in Charlie Cooke's second year.
The Wings, under a new ownership group led by local businessman Mike Relihan, joined the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL).
The player salaries were smaller and it lacked some of the large cities that the MISL was proud to include, but it provided the Wings a league in which to play.
Former Wing Joe Howarth and Director of Media Relations Steve Shaad, respectively, would serve as the color commentator for several of those seasons.
Steve Shaad, Blake Schreck, and Klaus Kollmai served as color commentators on the KFH broadcasts.