John Kerr (soccer, born 1943)

John Kerr Sr. (15 October 1943 – 19 June 2011) was a North American Soccer League soccer midfielder. Born in Scotland, he played for the Canada men's national team.

John Kerr
Personal information
Date of birth (1943-10-15)15 October 1943
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 19 June 2011(2011-06-19) (aged 67)[1]
Place of death North Carolina, United States
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Partick Thistle
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1961–1967 Hamilton Steelers /-Primos
1968 Detroit Cougars 26 (9)
1969–1971 Washington Darts
1971 Washington Darts (indoor) 2 (1)
1971 New York Hota
1972 New York Cosmos 14 (3)
1972–1973 Club América
1973–1975 New York Cosmos 36 (2)
1976–1977 Washington Diplomats 33 (0)
International career
1968–1977 Canada 10 (0)
Managerial career
1977 Washington Diplomats (assistant)
Fairfax Spartans
1987–1990 Washington Stars
1993–1994 Richmond Kickers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Kerr began his professional career with Partick Thistle in Scotland. When his mother moved to Canada, Kerr followed and emigrated to the Toronto area before signing with the Hamilton Steelers/Primos in the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League and later in the National Soccer League (NSL).[2] He also played with Hamilton Croatia in the NSL.[3] In 1968, he played in the North American Soccer League with the Detroit Cougars. In 1969, he joined the Washington Darts of the second division American Soccer League where he was a First Team All Star.[4] The Darts moved up to the NASL in 1970 and Kerr remained with the team through the 1971 season. He was the league's 14th leading scorer with Washington in 1971 with 18 points in 24 games. He scored Washington only goal of the NASL's first-ever indoor tournament in 1971.[5] He also played for New York Hota of the German American Soccer League when it won the 1971 National Challenge Cup. He also played for Club América of Mexico in the early 1970s. In 1972, Kerr became a member of the New York Cosmos. In 1972, he was again the league's 14th top scorer with 10 points in 14 games with the Cosmos and was named league First Team All-Star at midfield.[6] He then played the 1976 and 1977 seasons with the Washington Diplomats, serving during the 1977 season as an assistant coach. However, on 17 July 1977, the Dips informed Kerr that the team planned to release him.[7]

International career

Kerr played ten times for Canada, four times in World Cup qualifying in 1968, five times in W.C. qualifying in 1976 and once in a 1977 friendly. Canada failed to qualify for either World Cup.

Coaching

Kerr coached the Georgetown University freshman soccer team in 1970 and then coached the American Eagles men's soccer team in 1971.[8] Kerr took the amateur Fairfax Spartans to the 1986 National Amateur Cup. In 1987, the Spartans became known as F.C. Washington and later the Washington Stars as it entered the American Soccer League. Kerr was hired as head coach of the Stars on 24 June 1987.[9] He coached the Stars until the team folded following the 1990 American Professional Soccer League season. Kerr was head coach of the Richmond Kickers in 1993–94.[10]

He was the Major League Soccer's Players Association executive director during the late 1990s.[11][12]

Kerr coached the varsity boys' team at Hilton Head High School in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in the mid-2000s. At the time of his death, Kerr was coaching for Triangle Futbol Club in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Personal life

In 2008, Kerr was inducted into the Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame.[13] In 2015 Kerr was inducted as a builder into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.[14] Kerr's son John Kerr Jr. is a former American international.

References
  1. "Stats, scores and schedules". The Washington Post. 20 June 2011.
  2. Jose, Colin (1998). Keeping Score - Canadian Encyclopedia of Soccer. Vaughan, Ontario: The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 158. ISBN 0-9683800-0-X.
  3. "Summer soccer proves big hit". Newspapers.com. 100 Mile House Free Press. 9 July 1980. p. 27. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  4. "The Year in American Soccer - 1969". homepages.sover.net. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  5. Flachsbart, Harold (20 March 1971). "Fans Get A Kick Out Of Hoc-Soc". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  6. "NASL All-Star Teams, all-time". homepages.sover.net. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  7. Veterans Kerr, Macken Dropped by Diplomats Washington Post, The (DC) – Monday, 18 July 1977
  8. "Coach John Kerr, 'Blue Boy Soccer's New Addition".
  9. EX-DIPLOMAT KERR NAMED F.C . WASHINGTON COACH Washington Post – Wednesday, 24 June 1987
  10. Lindquist, Jerry (28 May 1994). "KICKERS' KERR WANTS MORE OFFENSE NEW-LOOK TEAM AT HOME TONIGHT". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  11. Ello, Chris (15 July 1988). "MISLPA's Kerr Expects New Agreement League That Would Not Fold Manages to Live Another Day". Los Angeles Times.
  12. Langdon, Jerry (7 May 1997). "MLS players take on transfer fee system". USA Today. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  13. Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Canada Soccer Hall of Fame". www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
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