Bob Rigby
 Rigby circa 1979 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Alan Rigby | ||
| Date of birth | July 3, 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1972 | East Stroudsburg University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1975 | Philadelphia Atoms | 54 | (0) |
| 1976 |
New York Cosmos | 13 | (0) |
| 1977–1979 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 62 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 |
Philadelphia Fury | 37 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | → Philadelphia Fever (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 1981–1982 | Montreal Manic | 47 | (0) |
| 1981–1982 | Montreal Manic (indoor) | 9 | (0) |
| 1982–1983 |
Golden Bay Earthquakes (indoor) | 9 | (0) |
| 1983–1984 |
Golden Bay Earthquakes | 4 | (0) |
| 1985 |
Tacoma Stars (indoor) | 5 | (0) |
| 1985 |
San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| International career | |||
| 1973–1975 |
United States | 6 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bob Rigby (born July 3, 1951) is an American retired soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He played twelve seasons in the
Playing career
Youth
Rigby, the son of school teachers, was born in
Professional
In 1973, Philadelphia Atoms coach Al Miller, an alumnus of East Stroudsburg University, took Rigby as the first pick in the 1973 NASL college draft. Miller was building his team for the Atoms, which were an expansion franchise that year. Miller had watched Rigby play and was familiar with his excellent athleticism and technical ability. Rigby did not disappoint Miller. He set a league record of 0.62 goals allowed as a rookie that stood until the end of the league. That year, Philadelphia became the first U.S. professional team in any sport to win a championship their first year in existence.[2] Rigby became a local and league hero and found himself on the cover of the September 3, 1973 Sports Illustrated, the first soccer player to be so honored. Rigby continued to provide positive exposure to the young NASL when he took fourth place in ABC's 1976 Superstars, a televised athletic competition pitting athletes from various sports. February 1974 saw Rigby involved in another significant first. The NASL was toying with the idea of indoor soccer and the Atoms hosted the Red Army of Moscow team in Philadelphia's Spectrum. This was one of the first indoor games to use the configuration familiar to future indoor leagues, an astroturf-covered ice rink with small goals set into the far walls. While the Red Army team won, 6–3, its coach had high praise for Rigby who had stopped 33 of the Soviets' 39 shots.[3]
The New York Cosmos acquired Rigby for the 1976 season, only for him to get injured. The Cosmos then brought in
Rigby was named to two
National and Olympic teams
The mid-1970s also saw Rigby play for both the U.S. Olympic and U.S. national teams. While Rigby travelled with the U.S. team to the
Coaching career
During his stint with the San Jose Earthquakes in 1985, Rigby coached the Los Gatos High School boys varsity team. After his retirement, Rigby became the head coach of the Ridley High School in Folsom, Pennsylvania. He remains active as a coach, recently as part of the Star Soccer Academy.
Broadcaster
Rigby served as color commentator for the Philadelphia Union during the 2012 season.
References
- ^ "1972 All Americans". Archived from the original on 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ Philadelphia Atoms: An Opportunity Wasted
- ^ The History of Indoor Soccer in the United States
- ^ REMEMBERING THE "PSEUDO-ATOMS"--THE PHILADELPHIA FURY, 1978–1980 Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Injuries pose dilemma Bell may regret 'no-trade' edict" San Diego Union Wednesday, March 6, 1985
- ^ "SCIOSCIA WINS, SISK, KOOSMAN LOSE IN ARBITRATION" THE SEATTLE TIMES Friday, February 15, 1985
- ^ 1985 WSA Stats
- ^ USA – Details of International Matches 1970–1979 Archived February 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine