Thomas Cahill (soccer)
Thomas W. Cahill (December 25, 1864 — September 29, 1951) was one of the founding fathers of soccer in the United States,[1] and is considered the most important administrator in U.S. Soccer before World War II.[2] Cahill formed the United States Football Association in 1913, which later became the United States Soccer Federation. In 1916 he became the first coach of the United States men's national soccer team. Cahill was enshrined in the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950.
Early life
Thomas Cahill was born in
In 1897, Cahill founded St. Louis Shamrocks which competed in the St. Louis Association Foot Ball League. They won the league title in 1899 and 1900. Although he owned Shamrocks, he also managed several other teams including St. Louis Spalding's in 1903-04 and Diel F.C. during the 1904–05 season.[3]
Soccer in the United States
Cahill returned to the East Coast and settled in Newark, New Jersey in 1910.
Cahill decided to establish a national governing body for soccer. He was the secretary and one of the founders of the American Amateur Football Association,[4] one of the governing bodies vying for sole status as the nationally recognized governing body. He traveled to Stockholm in 1912 to attend FIFA's ninth annual congress where he applied for the American Amateur Football Association, to become the U.S. national governing body. Cahill's efforts were opposed by a representative from the American Football Association, a rival also attempting to become the nationally recognized body.[5] FIFA did not immediately resolve the dispute, and urged Cahill and the AAFA to work with the AFA to create a solution.
Cahill ultimately achieved his goal, however, when the
Cahill was the editor of Spalding's annual Official Soccer Football Guide from 1912 to 1924.[9]
In 1916 he became the first coach of the
In 1921 Cahill was instrumental in forming the
Cahill's star faded, however. He was passed over for manager of the U.S. national team at the 1928 Olympics and the 1930 World Cup.[13]
Cahill died in 1951 in South Orange, New Jersey.
Works
Cahill was editor of several books in the Spalding Athletic Library collection which was published by American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1912). Spalding's Official Association "Soccer" Foot Ball Guide: 1912. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1913). Spalding's Official Association "Soccer" Foot Ball Guide: 1913. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1914). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Foot Ball Guide: 1914-15. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1915). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide: 1915-16. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1916). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide: 1916-17. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1917). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide: 1917-18. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1918). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide: 1918-19. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1919). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide: 1919-20. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1921). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide 1921-22. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1922). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide: 1922-23. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Cahill, Thomas W., ed. (1923). Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide: 1923-24. New York: American Sports Publishing Co.
- Spalding Athletic Library collection, Official soccer football guide, 1914-1915 [14]
References
- ISBN 0-9540134-7-6.
- ^ "The forgotten Thomas W. Cahill", Roger Allaway, February 13, 2011.
- ^ 1904-05 Spalding Soccer Foot Ball Guide, see pp. 42, 52, 77
- ^ "The forgotten Thomas W. Cahill", Roger Allaway, February 13, 2011.
- ^ "100 MOMENTS: U.S. SOCCER'S ORIGINS AT THE ASTOR HOUSE HOTEL IN 1913", U.S. Soccer, April 3, 2013.
- ISBN 0-7864-1350-6.
- ISBN 0-313-29911-0.
- ISBN 0-8108-3980-6.
- ^ "The forgotten Thomas W. Cahill", Roger Allaway, February 13, 2011.
- ^ "American Soccer Team Wins At Stockholm". (August 21, 1916). Boston Globe, p.7 col.7
- ^ "The Secret History of American Soccer", Slate.com, Brian Phillips, June 9, 2010.
- ^ "The Secret History of American Soccer", Slate.com, Brian Phillips, June 9, 2010.
- ^ "The forgotten Thomas W. Cahill", Roger Allaway, February 13, 2011.
- ^ Carli Illinois Edu. [1] Retrieved Feb 11, 2021