| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1966-01-06)January 6, 1966 (age 59) | ||
| Place of birth | South Africa | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Arcadia Shepherds | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1987 | College of Boca Raton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ? | (4) |
| 1989 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | ||
| 1989–1993 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ||
| 1994 | St. Petersburg Kickers | ||
| 1995 | Tampa Bay Cyclones | ||
| 1996–1997 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 28 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Derek Backman (born January 6, 1966) is a retired U.S.soccermidfielder who played in theUSISL.Backman played for the Arcadia Shepherds in his native South Africa before moving to the United States in 1983 to attend theCollege of Boca Raton. In 1987, Backman and his teammates won theNAIA national men's soccer championship. Backman was also a two time first team NAIA All American. He graduated in 1989 and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.[1]In 1988, Backman signed with theTampa Bay Rowdies as it prepared to enter the newly establishedAmerican Soccer League.[2] He moved to theFort Lauderdale Strikers for the first part of the 1989 season before returning to the Rowdies for the end of the season.[3] He then remained a regular with the team until sidelined in 1993 with a stress fracture in his left ankle. In 1990, the Rowdies moved to theAmerican Professional Soccer League and folded at the end of the 1993 season. Backman remained in the Tampa area, coaching youth soccer and working in his family's interior design business. He also played with the amateur St. Petersburg Kickers. In 1995, Backman gained his U.S. citizenship. That year, he played for the expansionTampa Bay Cyclones in the USISL.[4] In February 1996, theTampa Bay Mutiny selected Backman in the 11th round (107th overall) of the1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. He played 25 games with the Mutiny in 1996, but only three in 1997. He retired in 1998. He currently plays for the amateur team Kaknballz FC, who won the state title in 2017.