| Al Miller | ||
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| Personal information | ||
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| Full name | Al Miller | |
| Date of birth | December 17, 1936 | |
| Place of birth | Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1956-1959 | East Stroudsburg State College | |
| Teams managed | ||
| 1961-1966 1967-1972 1973-1975 1975 1976-1980 1980-1981 1983 |
New Paltz State Hartwick College Philadelphia Atoms U.S. National Team Dallas Tornado Calgary Boomers Tampa Bay Rowdies |
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Al Miller (born December 17, 1936 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is a former U. Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Lebanon Pennsylvania, formerly known as Steitztown is the County seat of Lebanon County Pennsylvania, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is a public University located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The State University of New York at New Paltz, known as SUNY New Paltz for short is a public University in New Paltz New York. Hartwick College is a non-denominational private, four-year Liberal arts and sciences College located in Oneonta, New York, in the The Philadelphia Atoms were a Soccer team based out of Philadelphia that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL The United States men's national soccer team is the national Soccer team of the United States for men and is controlled by the United States Soccer Dallas Tornado were a Soccer team based out of Dallas that played in the NASL. The Calgary Boomers were a professional soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League during the 1981 season after which they folded Lebanon Pennsylvania, formerly known as Steitztown is the County seat of Lebanon County Pennsylvania, United States. S. collegiate and professional soccer coach. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Coach (baseball|Coach (basketball|Coach (ice hockeyIn Sports a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction instruction and training of the operations After leaving coaching, he then became a general manager for two indoor soccer clubs in Cleveland, Ohio. General Manager or GM for short is a descriptive term for certain executives in a Business operation Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum is a Hall of fame in Oneonta New York which honors the achievements of Soccer in the United States
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Youth
Miller was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania and grew up in Ono, Pennsylvania. Lebanon Pennsylvania, formerly known as Steitztown is the County seat of Lebanon County Pennsylvania, United States. He attended East Stroudsburg State College where he played on both the soccer and basketball teams. East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is a public University located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He was a midfielder who earned second team All American recognition in 1958 and 1959. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules.
Coaching
Collegiate
While he starred as a soccer and basketball player, his first job was as the Albright College golf coach. Albright College is a private co-ed liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. He gained his first soccer coaching position with New Paltz State. The State University of New York at New Paltz, known as SUNY New Paltz for short is a public University in New Paltz New York. He spent five years with the East Paltz, winning three New York Conference Championships.
In 1967, Hartwick College hired Miller. Hartwick College is a non-denominational private, four-year Liberal arts and sciences College located in Oneonta, New York, in the In his six seasons at Hartwick, he took the team to a 64-12-3 record and a 1970 Final Four appearance.
NASL
Several events led to Miller moving from the collegiate to the professional coaching ranks. Tom McCloskey, a wealthy Philadelphia businessman was interested in owning a professional sports team. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə While attending the 1973 Super Bowl, Lamar Hunt broached the subject of McCloskey starting a North American Soccer League (NASL) franchise in Philly. Super Bowl VII was an American football game played on January 14, 1973 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles California Lamar Hunt ( August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer North American Soccer League (NASL was a professional soccer League with teams in the United States of America (U The NASL awarded McCloskey a team to begin play in the 1973 season. With very little time to prepare, McCloskey, and his general manager Bob Ehlinger, hired Miller who was both a successful collegiate soccer coach and from the Philadelphia area, as the Philadelphia Atoms first coach. General Manager or GM for short is a descriptive term for certain executives in a Business operation The Philadelphia Atoms were a Soccer team based out of Philadelphia that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL
Miller decided to build the Atoms around a core of native U. S. players. This was significant in that most NASL teams used U. S. players as goalkeepers or bench warmers. Miller took Bob Rigby with the first pick in the 1973 NASL college draft. Bob Rigby (born July 3, 1951, in Ridley Park Pennsylvania) is a retired U Rigby went on to become one of the best goalkeepers in the NASL. In the second round, Miller selected Bobby Smith who was selected as a second team All Star his rookie year. Robert "Bobby" Smith (born March 29 1951 is a retired U Miller then took his team to England to train. While there noticed several English players who he thought could help his team. He negotiated an on loan arrangement for Andy Provan, Jim Fryatt and Chris Dunleavy. Andrew McKelvie Hughes "Andy" Provan (born January 1, 1944 in Greenock, Scotland) is a Scottish former footballer
The selection of Miller proved to be a significant advantage for the Atoms. His decision to use U. S. players made the team immediately popular in Philadelphia. Miller was also personable became media darling. Besides creating a team popular with the fans, Miller also created a talented team which ran to a 9-2-8 record and a spot in the playoffs. In the semifinals, the Atoms crushed the Toronto Metros 3-0, then easily handled the Dallas Tornado 2-0, to take the 1973 NASL title. Dallas Tornado were a Soccer team based out of Dallas that played in the NASL.
Miller continued his contributions to U. S. soccer when he brought Francisco Marcos into the Atoms. Marcos had played at Hartwick when Miller coached there and Miller now game Marcos his first taste in soccer management, a skill he would develop over years in the NASL, then as the founder of the United Soccer Leagues. The United Soccer Leagues ( USL) is the parent organization for the men's lower division leagues of US and Canadian soccer USL First Division (second division
In 1974, McCloskey promoted Miller to general manager, a position he held in addition to his coaching duties. In 1975, he drafted Chris Bahr who became the 1975 NASL Rookie of the Year and later became a standout National Football League placekicker. Chris Bahr (born February 3, 1953 in State College Pennsylvania) is a former professional American football and Soccer player The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Placekicker, or simply kicker ( PK or K) is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the
Miller was unable to replicate his 1974 success and the team slowly became a drain on McCloskey’s finances. In 1975, he sold the team to a Mexican group. With the change in ownership, Miller elected to move to the Dallas Tornado. Dallas Tornado were a Soccer team based out of Dallas that played in the NASL. He spent the 1976 through 1980 season with the Tornado, gaining the playoff semifinals in 1980. After Dallas lost that semifinal match with the New York Cosmos, Miller announced his resignation as coach in the locker room. The New York Cosmos (1971–1985 known simply as the Cosmos for the 1977 and 1978 seasons was a soccer franchise based in New York City and its suburbs that operated While with Dallas, Miller had a hand in giving another significant individual his start when he drafted Glenn Myernick with the first pick of the 1976 College Draft. Glenn "Mooch" Myernick ( December 29, 1954 in Trenton New Jersey – October 9, 2006 in Thornton Colorado) was
He then moved to the Calgary Boomers, taking them into the playoffs in 1981. The Calgary Boomers were a professional soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League during the 1981 season after which they folded The Boomers folded at the end of the season and Miller found himself without a team until hired by the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He took the team to a 7-23 record then resigned on October 5, 1983 after disagreements with the team’s management. [1]
National team
In 1975, Miller was named head coach of the U.S. national team. The United States men's national soccer team is the national Soccer team of the United States for men and is controlled by the United States Soccer He was 0-2-0 in his two games with the team.
General Manager
After leaving the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Miller never again coached a professional team. Instead he entered team management with the Cleveland Force of Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). The Cleveland Force is a name that has been used by two different teams in the Major Indoor Soccer League. This article is about the 1978-1992 Major Indoor Soccer League. He oversaw the Force from 1984 until it folded at the end of the 1987-1988 season.
He then moved on to become the general manager of the United States Soccer Federation for a year. The United States Soccer Federation ( USSF) (trademarked as "U However, on February 22, 1989, Cleveland was awarded a new MISL franchise, the Cleveland Crunch. The Cleveland Force is a name that has been used by two different teams in the Major Indoor Soccer League.
[2] The Crunch hired Miller as its general manager, a position he held for the next ten years. In July 1992, the MISL folded and the Crunch moved to the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). The National Professional Soccer League (NPSL was a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. However, Miller continued with the Crunch until replaced by Paul Garofolo on February 22, 1999. In Miller’s ten years, the Crunch won three championships and lost another three title games.
Media
ESPN later signed Miller as a color commentator on ESPN's Mundial Sports. He also has narrated a series of films on soccer and wrote a chapter in the book Winning Soccer.
East Stroudsburg State College inducted Miller into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is a public University located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. [3] Hartwick college inducted Miller into its Hall of Fame in 1995. [4] That same year, Miller was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum is a Hall of fame in Oneonta New York which honors the achievements of Soccer in the United States
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gordon Jago |
Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach 1983 |
Succeeded by Rodney Marsh |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic