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Ron Newman

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Not to be confused with Ronald E. Neumann.

Ron Newman
Newman circa 1975
Personal information
Full name Ronald Vernon Newman
Date of birth (1934-01-19)19 January 1934
Place of birth Fareham, England
Date of death 27 August 2018(2018-08-27) (aged 84)
Place of death Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Position(s) Outside left, outside right
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
–1955 Woking
1955–1961 Portsmouth 108 (21)
1961–1962 Leyton Orient 14 (1)
1962–1963 Crystal Palace 6 (0)
1963–1967 Gillingham 93 (20)
1967–1968 Atlanta Chiefs 34 (4)
1968–1974 Dallas Tornado 20 (2)
1979 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1 (0)
Managerial career
1969–1975 Dallas Tornado
1976 Los Angeles Skyhawks
1977–1979 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
1980 Miami Americans
1980–1994 San Diego Sockers
1995 Arizona Sandsharks
1996–1999 Kansas City Wizards
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ronald Vernon Newman (19 January 1934 – 27 August 2018)[1] was an English professional association football player and coach. He was a member of the American National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Life

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Born in Fareham, Newman, after non-league football with Woking, played in the Football League with Portsmouth, Leyton Orient, Crystal Palace and Gillingham.[2] While at Gillingham he became the second player ever to be introduced as a substitute in English professional football.[3]

In 1967 Newman came to the United States to play for the Atlanta Chiefs in the National Professional Soccer League (where he was team MVP in 1967), before being traded to the Dallas Tornado during the 1968 season. In addition to playing for the Tornado, Newman also served as an assistant coach during the 1968 season.

The next year, Newman became both the head coach, as well as a player, for the Tornado until 1974. At the end of that season, he retired from playing and became the team's dedicated head coach for the 1975 season. He took the Tornado to the NASL championship in 1971. In 1976, he coached the Los Angeles Skyhawks of the American Soccer League (ASL), taking them to the ASL championship, making Newman the only coach to win both an NASL and ASL title. He then returned to the NASL in 1977 to coach the Fort Lauderdale Strikers,[4] where he stayed until 1979. That season, he was forced to don a players uniform and play part of one game after a union strike decimated his team.[5]

In July 1980, Newman became coach of the San Diego Sockers. While he had the best win/loss record as an outdoor soccer coach, and was named NASL coach of the year in 1971, 1977 and 1984,[6] as well as ASL coach of the year in 1976, he also made his mark in indoor soccer with San Diego with whom he won 10 championships in 11 seasons in two different leagues (NASL and MISL), only losing a semi-final in 1986–1987 to the Tacoma Stars, bringing his career total to 13. Newman's innovations added new positions and tactics to the indoor game including the sixth attacker and super power play. He along with Eddie Firmani and Al Miller are the only coaches to win both outdoor and indoor NASL titles.

Newman became the first coach hired by the MLS when he joined the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer in 1995. The Wizards won the Western Division title in 1997. Newman retired 1999 with an all-time coaching record of 753–296–27. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into the Dallas Walk of Fame 2006. He was also inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions,[7] as well as the Atlanta Soccer Hall of Fame. Newman received the 'Key of the City' in Fort Lauderdale and twice in San Diego. The championship trophy of the Major Arena Soccer League was named the Ron Newman Cup when the present version of the San Diego Sockers honoured him on 7 January 2012.[8]

Newman was the father of coach and retired player Guy Newman. Guy served as an assistant coach on his father's staff in both San Diego and Kansas City.

References

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  1. ^ "Ron Newman, legendary Sockers coach, dies at 82". San Diego Union-Tribune. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Ron Newman". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  3. ^ Elligate, David (2009). Gillingham FC on this day : history, facts & figures from every day of the year. Pitch Publishing. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-9054114-5-0. Gillingham lose 1-0 at Peterborough. It was the first day that substitutes could be used and after 17 minutes Ron Newman becomes Gills' first substitute when he replaces the injured Gordon Pulley. In the wider scene, Ron was the second substitute in Football League history, the first being Charlton Athletic's outside-right and future Gillingham manager Keith Peacock.
  4. ^ "Foreign stars used to snicker at the NASL, but as the - 04.11.77 - SI Vault". 28 June 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  5. ^ Lewis, Michael (8 March 2015). "The Forgotten Story of the 1979 NASL Players Strike". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  6. ^ Geis, John (24 February 1991). "Newman Ruled Out as Coach Candidate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Ron Newman". San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  8. ^ "SOCCER: Sockers to honor ex-head coach Newman". archive.ph. 4 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
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