My Life and the Beautiful Game

     As I've mentioned before in other posts on this blog, much of what I write is to enlighten my newly found biological family about my life and experiences. They've missed so much and in these posts I'm attempting to fill them in on some of the more profound or memorable life moments. For those of you who already know my sorted and bloviated tales, I sincerely beg your indulgence.

For some reason they called me Tank. 

     Right out of the shoot, I must admit I stole the title for this post from Edson Arantes do Nascimento. You might know his better as Pele, perhaps the most legendary soccer player living today. His autobiography is entitled My Life and the Beautiful Game, but it also seemed fitting for this article. Pele, if you didn't know, is Brazilian. and as a child I read everything I could about him. He, and Johnny Bench, were my two childhood sports heroes. This was before youtube and the only way you could see old film footage of his play for the Brazilian National Team was on hard to find VHS tapes or clips on Wide World Sports, which was even more rare given soccer was new to most of America. When I started playing at the age of 8, it was only the second year for the Beavercreek Soccer Association. I remember signing up because some of my classmates were playing and I thought it sounded like fun. I don't know how many BSA teams existed at the time but it was probably less than 15. Now, from the looks of the John Ankeney Soccer Complex in Beavercreek and all the kids I see around town in BSA wear, they probably have around 200. I can't imagine the number of kids who have played in the BSA and in their select program, the Beavercreek Celtics, which began in 1982.
     When I began playing there was no such thing as a "soccer complex." Back in the 1970's we traveled around Beavercreek playing at different sites each week. Fields were located at local schools, churches and a few at Rotary Park, though I think that occurred a few years after the league initially started. Essentially, the goals were made from either 2x4's bolted together or iron piping and were cemented into the ground. As a goalkeeper I ran into one of those immovable posts more than once. Sadly, neither it nor I had any give. Now, goals posts are constructed differently and generally are not cemented into the ground. Things are much safer now for courageous (or stupid, depending on your point of view) goalkeepers.

Lots of padding

     I suppose my coaches put me in the goalkeeper position for the same reason my coaches made me the catcher on the baseball team; area of circumference. Clearly, I took up more real estate than many of my teammates. I was also somewhat fearless and enjoyed the aggressive nature of playing goalkeeper. Plus, I could dropkick the ball to midfield which the coaches appreciated as well. I usually played goalkeeper for 2 quarters, sat out the 3rd quarter and played center midfielder during the 4th quarter. To be honest, I loved playing in the field better. I liked the running, shooting, slide tackling and of course scoring goals. As a midfielder you get to play a lot on both sides of the field, both offense and defense. I remember one game where I took a shot at goal from the middle of the field and scored. It seemed like the longest goal ever, though we were all ten years old and were playing on a smaller than normal field. It was still a thrill. I also remember yelling a referee telling him he stunk and being kicked out of the game. My parents were embarrassed and they made me sit out the next game. But I learned a very valuable lesson that day; not every referee is cut out for officiating. Another memory is when a New York Cosmos player named Ricky Davis came to the soccer fields when they were located on Beaver Valley Road. I was in the middle of a game so my mom managed to get me an autograph. He later went on to become the captain of the U. S. National Team. 

Rick Davis autograph

     I played in the BSA every year through the 9th grade. One year I decided to try football (American football) and hated it. After a week I quit and was placed on a soccer team and never strayed from the beautiful game after that. Sometime in the early 1980's a number of my friends tried out for a new select team called the Beavercreek Celtics. I wanted so badly to tryout but my mom and dad (primarily my dad) said no. I don't know if it was because the fees for playing on the team were too high in his opinion or if there was some other reason but he wouldn't let me try out. It was heartbreaking. I don't know if I would've been good enough to make the team but it really set the course for the rest of my soccer "career." It's no secret that players of any sport will generally improve as they play with and against other players of higher skill. Not playing in the select team program I was relegated to playing in the BSA recreational league throughout my early teens and it was rather lackluster. I was so jealous of my Celtic friends. They had the best uniforms, played in some really neat tournaments, and even won the State Cup one year. I was there watching from the sidelines. Talk about feeling left out. Ouch!
     At some point I made the transition from goalkeeper to midfielder. I recall during an indoor soccer game we were winning handily my coach moved me from goalkeeper to center forward. I ended up scoring a few goals and from then on each game he put me in the goal for a while and then move me to center midfielder. I kept scoring, so when the outdoor season began again I was moved to center midfielder permanently. 

BHS 1985 Reserve "B" team

     In August of 1985 I tried out for the Beavercreek High School soccer team. At the conclusion of the previous season the head coach of the Celtic's select team was named head coach of the Varsity team. The speculation was he would pick his select team players and everyone else would be cut. That didn't happen but every one of his players made one of the four teams. I managed to make the Reserve "B" team and wound up as the starting left back defender--the last line of defense before the goalkeeper. I started every game and rarely sat out. It was a great feeling being part of the team. I worked hard and was thrilled about my future prospects of playing varsity in the next year or so. 
     The following spring most of my teammates who didn't make the Celtic select team were placed on a team called the Hibernians. The coach, a great man who eventually became a great friend named Vern Burk, felt there were many talented players who needed a quality and competitive place to play organized the team. At the time, the BSA did not offer soccer leagues for high schoolers. You either played select soccer in the spring or you didn't play at all. Unfortunately, I was a year older than most of my teammates and was too old to play in the under 16 league. So instead I was put on another team called Captain Crunch and the Funky Bunch. To be honest, most on the team were more concerned with partying than playing soccer. I wasn't happy about the situation and thought being lumped in with this group would severely hurt my chances to make the high school team in the fall. 

No pictures of the Funky Bunch exist
but this seemed fitting. 

     I don't know if being one of the "Funky Bunch" hurt me or not but I was cut from the high school the first week of tryouts. I was crushed. It was the most emotionally painful thing I had experienced thus far in my life. I thought my soccer playing days were over and I sat and did nothing for quite awhile. The only thing that kept me interested in the game was the fact I was working at a local soccer shop. Somehow I managed to get a job at Ryan's Soccer International located in Centerville and I worked there for a few years. Then I got hired at Frye's Soccer Shoppe in Beavercreek and worked there until I left for college. 
     After sulking for a few weeks I decided to dig in and prove to the coaches and my friends I was worthy of playing on the high school team. I talked to Vern Burk, the Hibernians coach, who was also the assistant women's varsity coach, and he got me a job as team manager for the BHS women's team. Along with filling water bottles and making sure the soccer balls were fully inflated, he and the head coach, Andy Bisswurm, gave the opportunity to train the goalkeepers, scrimmage with the team and offer some instruction. I certainly would've preferred playing on the varsity team but it kept me around the game I loved so much. Plus, I learned a bit about coaching and began seeing the game with a different perspective.

News clippings (before the internet)

     In the Spring of 1987, now that my friends were a year older and able to play in the same league I played the year before, many of us were placed on a third tier Celtic team. The top tier Celtic team was made up of the varsity players and few guest players from other area schools. I was also named the team captain and was moved to starting forward. It was a great season--the team finished in second place and I ended the season with 15 goals. Towards the end of the school year the men's soccer coach held a meeting for anyone interested in trying out for the team the following season. After the meeting I stayed and spoke to the head coach and I remember him telling me he had heard about my success on the spring team and told me to keep working. He added, "there's no reason" I couldn't be starting for him in the fall. After he told me that, I thought perhaps the reason I was cut the previous year was because I figured I had it made and wasn't focused or dedicated enough. I was already in the midst of a refocused effort to improve but I dug in even deeper. I knew one my of my weaknesses was my fitness and speed. In an effort to improve I upped my daily running routine to about 5 miles per day and sometimes I would run in my neighborhood dribble my soccer ball. I spent many summer days on the school's practice field running sprints and practicing my skills. Plus, I began a weight training regiment at the high school and was in the best shape of my life. Along with this fitness regiment and practice I figured I had a better than average shot of making the team. In truth, I knew there were players better skilled than me and I only wanted to be on the team to prove them and myself I had the ability to play at a higher level. 

Umbro camp evaluation

     On a lark I decided to try out for the Ohio junior olympic development team. I had no chance of making it but I wanted to see how my skills measured up to some of the better players in the area. As expected I didn't make the team but because I was "under consideration" I gained an invitation to an exclusive soccer camp put on my the Umbro soccer apparel company. The camp, held at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana was being coached by former English professional players. It was loads of fun and I came away from the camp with many new found skills and load of confidence. 

The Diego Maradonas

     I'd like to say I made the team that fall. I did not. Again, I was cut during the first round of tryouts and the crushing disappointment I felt the previous year was trumped tenfold. I was bewildered by what occurred. So, instead of moping around like I did the year before I decided to coach and volunteered to lead a BSA team we named the Diego Maradonas. It was great fun and it kept me busy, along with returning as the team manager for the women's varsity team. I played more soccer that fall that I likely would've if I'd made the team. Later I would hear from a few who had made the men's varsity team they were surprised I had been cut. Especially so early during the tryout process. I heard a rumor the assistant coach remarked, "If Todd wants to know why he was cut all his has to do is ask." I never asked, and to this day when I see that former coach, who's now the head coach and has been for 25+ years, I've wondered if there was any truth to the rumor. Again, I've never asked. 

In action at LMU

    Surprisingly though, I still managed to be recruited to play at Lincoln Memorial University, a small school in Harrogate, Tennessee. The head coach, a man named Jonas Holdeman, saw me and a few others play in a tournament in Kingsport, TN during the summer of 1988 and offered me a spot on the team. That fall I was part of the team and even got to start a few games here and there. I played only one year of varsity soccer and was thrilled to get the chance to play in a mid-season tournament at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the mecca of college soccer. Though we lost both games to two UNC teams it was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. I would've liked to have stayed and played three more years but I decided to go into radio and was eager to get started. I left LMU in the spring. 

Lincoln Memorial University Men's Varsity 1988

     Following my competitive playing days I coached for a few years at Beavercreek as an assistant in the women's program. I also coached a college aged women's team one spring in the early 1990's. I really enjoyed it and to this day prefer watching women's soccer over men's soccer. After that family responsibilities and my burgeoning radio career cut in to my time for coaching and playing. I also gained a bunch of weight during my unhappy marriage which ended in divorce. I coached my son's Kindergarten team but he wasn't real interested in soccer. I would imagine if I had been in better shape and able to play with him more at home in the yard perhaps he would've stuck with it. But we still enjoy the occasional game of FIFA World Cup on the Playstation. 
     Maybe if Mary and I have a child or two who grows to love soccer I'll have to brush of my old Adidas Copa cleats (which I still have incase I'm ever called up to play) and teach them a few things about the game. I think the first thing I'll teach them is that playing and having fun is all that matters and making the team isn't everything.