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    William and Mary Men's Soccer
    William and Mary Men's Soccer
    William and Mary Men's Soccer
    Ebook233 pages1 hour

    William and Mary Men's Soccer

    By Al Albert and Jon Stewart

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    About this ebook

    From its humble beginnings as a club team with hand-me-down football jerseys, William and Mary men s soccer team has become an exemplary intercollegiate program. Whether judged by their 30 consecutive winning seasons or the success of their graduates including Comedy Central s Jon Stewart and MLS stars Wade Barrett, Steve Jolley, and Adin Brown Tribe soccer has become what college soccer should be. For almost 50 years, William and Mary has not only developed outstanding individuals and teams, but has also exerted an amazing amount of influence on soccer in their community by contributing to the growth of youth, high school, and women s soccer.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateApr 5, 2010
    ISBN9781439637821
    William and Mary Men's Soccer
    Author

    Al Albert

    Author Al Albert was a William and Mary soccer player in the late 1960s and then coached the team for 33 years, from 1971 to 2003. He is now the associate director of athletic development at the College. The original photographs in this book are from William and Mary publications, the William and Mary Sports Information archives, and the author�s personal collection.

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      Book preview

      William and Mary Men's Soccer - Al Albert

      Albert-Daly Field is packed to capacity for a 2004 match in which the Tribe upset then-number-one-ranked Maryland 1-0. The goal was scored on a header by Brannon Thomas, who had returned late in the previous season from brain surgery. Thomas won the Colonial Athletic Association’s (CAA) John Randolph Inspiration Award the same year. (Courtesy of William and Mary Library Archives.)

      FRONT COVER: Wade Barrett, cocaptain and All-American in 1997, is shown as a senior for the Tribe. Wade went on to an extremely successful and steady career in Major League Soccer (MLS). He was twice captain of the MLS champion Houston Dynamo. Barrett came to W&M from nearby Beach FC (Virginia Beach Travel Soccer, Inc.) soccer club. (Courtesy of William and Mary Library Archives.)

      COVER BACKGROUND: Busch Field is packed for the 1994 CAA final between the Tribe and JMU. (Courtesy of William and Mary Sports Information.)

      BACK COVER: Mike Flood slots home the winning goal in the final seconds of overtime of the 1983 ECAC South final versus George Mason, earning William and Mary a berth in the NCAA tournament. (Courtesy of William and Mary Sports Information.)

      William and Mary Men's Soccer

      Al Albert

      Copyright © 2010 by Al Albert

      9781439637821

      Published by Arcadia Publishing

      Charleston SC, Chicago IL, Portsmouth NH, San Francisco CA

      Printed in the United States of America

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2009935598

      For all general information contact Arcadia Publishing at:

      Telephone 843-853-2070

      Fax 843-853-0044

      E-mail sales@arcadiapublishing.com

      For customer service and orders:

      Toll-Free 1-888-313-2665

      Visit us on the Internet at www.arcadiapublishing.com

      This book is dedicated to all those who sweated and sacrificed to make Tribe soccer what it is today—players, coaches, and most notably, my family.

      Table of Contents

      Title Page

      Copyright Page

      Dedication

      FOREWORD

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      1 - CLUB SOCCER TO VARSITY

      2 - FIRST STEPS FORWARD

      3 - THE RISE OF SOCCER IN VIRGINIA

      4 - BEGINNINGS OF NATIONAL PROMINENCE

      5 - BACK TO THE SHOW

      6 - CONSISTENT POSTSEASON PLAY

      7 - WOMEN’S SOCCER IN WILLIAMSBURG

      8 - HONOR ROLL

      9 - THE SPIRIT OF TRIBE SOCCER

      L - LETTERMEN

      FOREWORD

      When Coach first approached me in the fall of 2009 about an idea he had been working on, I thought . . . how much is this going to cost me? As it turns out, he only wanted my time to contribute a foreword for a book he was writing on Tribe soccer . . . and some money . . . and some signed books for a local auction. But you never mind doing a little something for Coach, because you know he is only doing it for someone else. The story of Tribe soccer really is the story of Coach Albert’s dedication and tenacity, creating a tradition and legacy for a program that had no business being as successful as it has ultimately turned out to be. I call the story of Tribe soccer, Coach Albert: How the Tallest Jew in Southeastern Virginia Made Good.

      I first met Coach Albert in 1980 when, as a freshman, I walked into his office to deliver the good news that I, an all-state soccer player (honorable mention) from a powerful program in New Jersey (group two, small, but a class above experimental and home schools) had decided to grace the college soccer program with my presence. The program at that time was at a turning point. The Virginia State Champ plaques and All-American accolades that decorated the walls said big-time program in the making. The pile of green mesh bags filled with dirty uniforms that Coach and J. D. would be carting down to the laundry said the program might not be yet considered elite. It was in this atmosphere that Coach thanked me for my offer and gently explained the team was well stocked and he would be tracking my progress with their vaunted JV program, which turned out to be not so much a program as a sign-up sheet in a Greek kid’s dorm room.

      Little did we know that in a few months Tribe soccer would be engaged in an epic battle with Alabama A&M for a spot in the Final Four and that I would be holding down the all-important center midfield spot for a junior varsity clash with an impressive team of orderlies from the mental hospital adjacent to JBT [James Blair Terrace]. (The game ended in a draw. The rules at this time not allowing for penalty kicks and the orderlies said they had to go anyway . . . a code red in the flight risk wing . . . whatever that meant.)

      That year, the Tribe settled for a record-setting goal scoring performance (27) by John McManus and green NCAA Regional Champs hooded sweatshirts. I wanted only one thing at that point in life: to earn one of those damned sweatshirts . . . and to lose my virginity . . . but I assume that is for the foreword of a very different book. True to his word, Coach had kept an eye on my progress and invited me to join the team for spring workouts leading to a spot on the varsity in the fall. It was an opportunity that I never took for granted.

      My years with Tribe soccer were the best of my college experience. The runs out to JBT, the indoor tourneys at Blow Gym, the brawls at ODU, the incredible upset of Penn State at Cary Field and of UConn at Storrs, the banter, the camaraderie, the keg parties on Mataoka Court and the endless van rides . . . that no matter where we went always seemed to end up at a Sizzler in Fredericksburg, where Coach had a deal on soda refills. Free refills, Coach would say; Fredericksburg is not on the way to North Carolina, we would say.

      The program in the early eighties was a transitional one. We had some talent and some drive but lacked the discipline and the real thoroughbreds that would be the hallmark of the teams that came after us. The positive spin was we were a team with personality. I believe the more colloquial term is miscreants. But through it all, Coach displayed the otherworldly patience that was his hallmark. ECAC [Eastern College Athletic Conference] championships and NCAA bids coincided with beer runs and check-bouncing scandals. But Coach always believed that beyond all that obnoxiousness were decent players and decent people. He never gave up on us and never gave up on the program. Hopefully both have made him as proud of our accomplishments as we have been of his.

      —Jon Stewart ’84

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