Nicky Megaloudis

Nicky Megaloudis (born September 24, 1957) is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.

Nicky Megaloudis
Personal information
Date of birth (1957-09-24) September 24, 1957
Place of birth New York, New York, United States
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1975–1977 Long Island University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1980 Houston Hurricane 46 (1)
1978–1980 Houston Summit (indoor) 35 (10)
1980–1984 New York Arrows (indoor) 135 (9)
1984–1985 Las Vegas Americans (indoor) 22 (4)
Managerial career
1997 Florida Strikers
1997–2000 Miami Fusion (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Player

Youth

Megaloudis father, Demosthenes, moved to the United States from Greece in the late 1940s, Megaloudis grew up on Long Island as part of an extensive soccer playing family. In 1975, Megaloudis, uncle of Chris Megaloudis,[1] graduated from Long Island City High School. He then entered Long Island University where he played on the men's soccer team from 1975 to 1977. He was a 1976 and 1977 Honorable Mention (third team) All American.[2]

Professional

In 1978, Megaloudis turned professional with the Houston Hurricane of the North American Soccer League. That fall, the Houston Summit signed most of the Hurricane roster, including Megaloudis, for the Summit's upcoming Major Indoor Soccer League season. Megaloudis alternated between the two teams until the fall of 1980 when he moved to the New York Arrows. He remained with the Arrows until 1984 when he moved to the Las Vegas Americans for the 1984–1985 season.

Coach

In 1997, Megaloudis coached the Florida Strikers of the USISL. In the fall of 1997, he became an assistant coach with the Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer. He held that position until May 2000 when he moved to the Fusion front office.[3]

Personal

In 2004, Megaloudis' daughter, Nicole Megaloudis, a freshman forward on the Virginia Commonwealth University women's soccer team, died in a single car accident on I-64 West in Goochland County, VA. Megaloudis and his wife, Gail, had divorced and Gail had later married Thomas Rongen. As a result, D.C. United holds an annual Nicole Cup to raise money for college soccer scholarships.[4]

References
  1. "SOME MEGA-DREAMS: Megaloudis hopes to make his mark for Puerto Rico in World Cup qualifying". Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  2. LIU Blackbirds Soccer Records
  3. REELING FUSION FIRES COACH Miami Herald, The (FL) - Tuesday, May 9, 2000
  4. Behind the Badge: Boswell honored
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