Phil Woosnam
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Phillip Abraham Woosnam | ||
Date of birth | 22 December 1932 | ||
Place of birth | Caersws, Powys, Wales, UK | ||
Date of death | 19 July 2013 | (aged 80)||
Place of death | Dunwoody, Georgia, US | ||
Position(s) |
Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
Bangor University | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1952–1953 | Manchester City | 1 | (0) |
1953–1954 | Sutton United | ||
1954–1959 | Leyton Orient | 108 | (19) |
1959–1962 | West Ham United | 138 | (26) |
1962–1966 | Aston Villa | 106 | (24) |
1967–1968 | Atlanta Chiefs | 21 | (9) |
International career | |||
1959–1963 | Wales | 17 | (3) |
Managerial career | |||
1967–1968 | Atlanta Chiefs | ||
1968 | United States | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Phillip Abraham Woosnam (22 December 1932 – 19 July 2013) was a Welsh
He was commissioner of the North American Soccer League from 1969 to 1982, overseeing the league's expansion and boom years. He was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1997.
Playing career
Woosnam played football with Montgomeryshire Schoolboys and gained youth international honours with Wales, and gained eight amateur
He played club football at
In November 1958, Woosnam was signed by West Ham United for £30,000 and left his job as a physics teacher at Leyton County High School for Boys to turn professional. He made his debut against Arsenal that month and went on to make 138 league appearances for the club, scoring 26 goals. He made 15 cup appearances, scoring three goals. While at Upton Park, he added 15 full international caps to the one he had gained while at Orient. He also represented the Football League[6] and the Wales Amateurs.[7]
Woosnam moved to Aston Villa in 1962 for a £25,000 fee. He made his Villa debut on 1 December 1962 in a 5–0 home win against Bolton Wanderers.[8] He went on to score 24 goals in 106 League games, and gained a further two international caps.[9]
NASL commissioner
Woosnam immigrated to the United States in 1966. Although hired as a coach, he played for the
Woosnam was commissioner of the
Woosnam later became managing director of the marketing arm of
Personal
Woosnam, a cousin to golfer Ian Woosnam and a nephew of the English footballer, Max Woosnam, became a naturalized American citizen.[when?][1]
Death
Phil Woosnam died on 19 July 2013 in Dunwoody, Georgia[11] from complications related to prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease, at the age of 80.[10]
References
- ^ ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
- ^ a b c Williams, Richard (26 July 2013). "Phil Woosnam: From West Ham and Villa to realising the American dream". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
- ISBN 0-9512172-0-8.
- ^ "Phil Woosnam". wwwneilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ Lancashire Evening Post 31 January 1957
- ISBN 1-903135-50-8.
- ^ "Welsh Amateur Internationals". penmon.org.
- ^ "Phil Woosnam". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ "Phil Woosnam profile at". Aston Villa Player Database. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Chiefs legend Phil Woosnam passes away". ajc.com. 20 July 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Goodbye Phil". bigapplesoccer.com. 20 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ a b "NASL Owners Vote To Remove Phil Woosnam". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 25 April 1982.
- ^ "Nothing But Blue Skies Does Woosnam", Sports Illustrated, 30 May 1977.