Charlie Mitchell (footballer)

For the American football player, see Charlie Mitchell (American football).
Charlie Mitchell
Mitchell playing for the New York Cosmos in 1976
Personal information
Date of birth (1948-05-18) 18 May 1948 (age 76)
Place of birth Paisley, Scotland
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
St Mirren F.C.
1969 Sudbury Italia
1970–1975 Rochester Lancers 121 (5)
1976 New York Cosmos 7 (0)
1977 Team Hawaii 23 (0)
1978 Tulsa Roughnecks 25 (0)
1979 Toronto Blizzard 30 (0)
Managerial career
1977 Team Hawaii
1980–1981 Tulsa Roughnecks
1996–2005 Northeastern State RiverHawks (men & women)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Charlie Mitchell is a Scottish American former soccer defender and coach. He played ten seasons in the North American Soccer League from 1970 to 1979.

Club career

Mitchell played for St Mirren F.C. in his native Scotland.[1] In 1969, he played in the National Soccer League with Sudbury Italia.[2]

He joined the Rochester Lancers of the NASL in 1970. The Lancers won the NASL championship in 1970, and Mitchell was named an NASL all-star. He was an NASL second-team all-star in 1971 and 1975, and an honorable mention all-star in 1972 and 1974.[3] In 1977, he was named to the Rochester Lancers Team of the Decade.[4]

In 1976 he moved to the New York Cosmos,[5] where he had an assist on a spectacular bicycle kick goal scored by his teammate Pelé in a game against the Miami Toros.[1]

In 1977 Mitchell played for Team Hawaii, where he became player-manager in mid-season.[6] Team Hawaii moved to Tulsa in 1978 and became the Tulsa Roughnecks; Mitchell was the only player Tulsa retained from the Hawaii roster.[7]

Mitchell played the 1979 season for a Toronto Blizzard,[5] and finished his NASL playing career with a total of 206 NASL regular-season games and nine NASL playoff games.[3] He also served as an assistant coach for Toronto throughout the season.[2]

Coaching career

After ending his playing career, Mitchell returned to Tulsa as manager of the Roughnecks.[6] The 1980 team finished with a 15–17 record and lost to the Cosmos in the first round of the playoffs. His 1981 team started with an 11–10 record, but in July 1981, Mitchell was replaced by his assistant Terry Hennessey. Sports Illustrated reported that this was due to team management's dissatisfaction with the Roughnecks' low-scoring offense.[8]

Later career

Mitchell remained a popular figure in Tulsa, as a participant in local youth soccer programs,[9] and as a sports bar-restaurant operator.[10] He coached the men's and women's soccer teams at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma for nine years[11] until his resignation in June 2005.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "Head Coach Charlie Mitchell"[permanent dead link‍] biography in 2004 Northeastern State University soccer press guide (retrieved May 2, 2009).
  2. ^ a b Labow, Jefferey (February 22, 1979). "Charlie Mitchell to help coach Toronto Blizzard". The Globe and Mail. p. 46.
  3. ^ a b Hall of Fame eligibility profile Archived 2016-01-23 at the Wayback Machine at National Soccer Hall of Fame official website (retrieved May 2, 2009)
  4. ^ Lewis, Michael (3 August 1977). "Lancers can win title only by optimum output". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 50.
  5. ^ a b North American Soccer League player registry Archived 2009-03-02 at the Wayback Machine at National Soccer Hall of Fame official website (retrieved May 2, 2009).
  6. ^ a b North American Soccer League coaches registry Archived 2010-07-11 at the Wayback Machine at National Soccer Hall of Fame official website (retrieved May 4, 2009).
  7. ^ Randy Krehbiel, "Soccer team's success wasn't easy", Tulsa World, September 15, 2002.
  8. ^ "A Roundup Of The Week June 29-July 5", Sports Illustrated, July 13, 1981.
  9. ^ "Youth Soccer Provides Fun, Fitness, Opportunity" Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, Greater Tulsa Reporter (retrieved May 2, 2009).
  10. ^ Jimmie Tramel, "Roughnecks a colorful, talented group", Tulsa World, June 26, 2006.
  11. ^ Glen Hibdon, "College: NSU team might be best ever", Tulsa World, September 29, 2004.
  12. ^ "Sports FYI", Tulsa World, June 10, 2005.