| Historic Perspective (July 2008) |
Sharing information has been a part of the NSCAA from the beginning
By Al Albert
Inspired by HBO’s recent “John Adams” miniseries, which portrayed the formative years of this country, I will share some history of the NSCAA. Almost 70 years ago, a small group of college soccer coaches decided it would be a great idea to start an association to encourage the development of soccer in secondary schools and universities. Since its inception, the NSCAA has had as its main objective sharing knowledge and promoting the game through education. There also was a tremendous spirit of collegiality and camaraderie. These emphases have continued to the present day.
The accounts of exactly when and how the NSCAA began are conflicting. All descriptions basically involve a group of coaches sitting around at the end of a meeting in 1941 and discussing how the formation of a college association would be beneficial to the development of the game in U.S. schools and colleges. The roster of members in the early years is an indication of how alike these founding members were. Almost all were white males who coached at high schools and colleges in the northeastern United States.
Regardless of whose recollection is accepted, all agree that the NSCAA was born that year. John Brock of Springfield College was named the first president and the princely dues of $1 were assessed. We presume no one had an issue with joining because of the cost!
The early goals of this group have endured the test of time. These words from the early manifesto of the organization still ring true: “The formation of the coaches association has as an objective this thesis: By helping others, we in turn will help ourselves.” This spirit of sharing information, in my opinion, is a hallmark of the NSCAA. I believe other sports’ coaching groups are far less generous than ours in their sharing of ideas and information.
In a world long before the World Wide Web, one of the main benefits of joining the association was the NSCAA newsletter. This was the forerunner of Soccer Journal, which is now published seven times a year in a glossy magazine format. These early newsletters attempted to fill the gap between the publication each fall of the Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association’s Soccer Guide. The Guide was for many years the main source of news at the beginning of the season for high school and college coaches. When I began coaching in the early ‘70s, I pored over the latest issue as soon as it appeared.
The NSCAA awards program began as far back as 1948 when our All-America program was conceived. Although the Honor Award had been given since the beginning of the organization, there was no comparable player recognition program for college soccer at that time and nothing for high school players or younger. Coaches had to be members for their players to be considered for All-America, and this requirement remains the same for NSCAA selection. Even with the appearance of other all-American programs for college soccer, the NSCAA selection still carries the most prestige of any of the selections, and also offers the opportunity to be recognized at the annual All-America Luncheon. Now, of course, we recognize thousands of players and coaches at all levels – from youth to senior college men and women.
The NSCAA Annual Convention, which has the atmosphere of a college homecoming reunion, is a symbol of the collegiality and mutual respect that the first members intended. Our present-day gathering evolved from the early NSCAA annual meetings, which always were held in New York City. The original member roster in 1941 was less than 40. It quickly grew to several hundred members, and then thousands. In 1971, the decision was made to move the Convention to accommodate the growth and geographic spreading of our membership. The 1972 Convention was held in St. Louis, where 37 years later we will convene for our 2009 gathering.
Our Convention exhibit hall has become a real extravaganza, with hundreds of exhibitors, major television coverage from the opening night and thousands of attendees. Forty-five years ago Max Doss of Soccer Sport Supply displayed his wares on a table in the hallway and thus became the first Convention exhibitor. In that same year, W.H. Brine printed the first copy of its soccer catalog.
In 1952, the first soccer “forum” was conceived and held in Florida during winter break. This was the forerunner of our winter Academy courses, which are now packed every January in the Fort Lauderdale area and in 2008 expanded to include courses in California. In fact, this forum probably could be considered the beginning of all residential soccer coaching courses in the United States. Glenn Warner, the legendary coach of the Naval Academy, is credited with developing this program.
For many years the Association was not only governed, but run entirely by volunteer officers. In 1980 the new constitution created the position of executive director. Dr. John McKeon of East Stroudsburg University became the first ED, and, for a dozen years ran the organization out of his home office. It was not until 1992 that Jim Sheldon became the first and only full-time NSCAA executive director, and the organization moved its headquarters to Kansas City.
We now own our national office building. It provides a great work environment for a full-time staff of 16 employees. With our constantly growing membership, Convention attendance, sponsorships and educational and recognition programs, the NSCAA is a much different organization than it was in the early years. Yet the spirit of the original group, as conceived and designed by the founders, still gives us the same purpose: to develop the game of soccer and individual players by helping coaches improve.
Most of the historical data was gleaned from reading “The First 50 Years (1941-1991) The History of the National Soccer Coaches Association,” written by long-time members and past presidents Tim Schum and Joe Bean. An updated edition is planned for 2011, which will be the organization’s 70th anniversary.
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