| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Hynes | ||
| Date of birth | November 12, 1920 | ||
| Place of birth | Lochgelly,Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 3 August 2013 (aged 92) | ||
| Place of death | Staten Island,New York,United States | ||
| Position | Outside Right | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1938 | Brooklyn St. Mary's Celtic | ||
| 1938–1941 | Swedish F.C. | ||
| 1941–1952 | New York Americans | ||
| 1952–1954 | Brookhattan | ||
| 1954–1957 | Brooklyn Hakoah | ||
| 1957–1959 | Brookhattan | ||
| 1959–1960 | Colombo | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 1949 | United States | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1959–1960 | Colombo | ||
| Wagner College | |||
| Swedish F.C. | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:47, 24 February 2007 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 December 2006 | |||
John Hynes (1920 – 3 August 2013) was an Americansoccerforward.[1] He spent over twenty years in theAmerican Soccer League, twice earning league MVP recognition. In 1949, he earned fourcaps with theUnited States men's national soccer team. In addition to playing professional soccer, Hynes was a New York City fireman from 1947 to 1975 and served in the U.S. Army in World War II. He is a member of theNational Soccer Hall of Fame.
Hynes emigrated to the United States from Scotland when he was thirteen years old. When he arrived in the U.S., he enteredCurtis High School onStaten Island,New York. He played on the Curtis soccer team, spending two seasons as the team captain. However, he did not confine himself to high school soccer, but also played for the professionalBrooklyn St. Mary's Celtic of theAmerican Soccer League (ASL). In 1938, Brooklyn went to theNational Challenge Cup where the team lost the home and away series toChicago Sparta, 8–0 on aggregate. Hynes came on as a substitute in the game in Chicago.[2] After the National Cup, Hynes moved to Swedish F.C. which played in theNational Soccer League of New York. In 1940, Swedish F.C. won both the league and cup titles. They repeated the cup title in 1941, the same year that Hynes moved back to the ASL where he joined theNew York Americans. While Hynes began his career as an amateur, he received a nominal payment for games and in 1939 the president ofUSSF declared Hynes and fellow Swedish F.C. player,Gene Olaff, to be professionals.[3]
Hynes spent only two years with the Americans before joining theU.S. Army's80th Division duringWorld War II. He received aPurple Heart for his service.[4] Despite significant wounds received during theBattle of the Bulge, Hynes recovered and rejoined the Americans with whom he played until 1952. He then signed withBrookhattan, but in 1954, he moved across town toBrooklyn Hakoah. In 1956, he was named the ASL MVP. The next season, Hakoah won the ASL championship. Despite these achievements, Hynes moved back to Brookhattan in 1957. He was once again the league MVP and second on the league's scoring list. In 1959, Hynes made one last move, this time toColombo, an expansion ASL club in Brooklyn. Hynes both played and coached Colombo, but the team lasted only the 1959–1960 season before folding. Despite being a first year team, Colombo won the ASL championship. By this time Hynes legs were failing and a fifth operation on his knees led him to retire from playing professionally.[5]
Hynes earned fourcaps with theU.S. national team when he was selected for the squad which competed in the1949 NAFC Championship.[6] That year, the cup was used as theNorth American regional qualification tournament for the1950 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. finished second out of the three teams and qualified for the World Cup finals. However, Hynes was not selected for the finals team after theNew York Times published remarks Hynes had made criticizingUSSF's player selection process.[7]
After retiring from playing, Hynes was both a high school and collegiate referee and coach. His coaching stints included: St. Charles Parish S.I. Youth Soccer 1980, Monsignor Farrell High School S.I. Varsity Soccer coach 1982–1985,Wagner College. He also coached his old National Soccer League of New York team, Swedish F.C.[8]
In 1977, Hynes was inducted into theNational Soccer Hall of Fame.[9]
In 1997, the Eastern New York State Soccer Association inducted Hynes into its Hall of Fame.[10]
In 2001, Hynes suffered a mini-stroke on Thanksgiving. He died on 3 August 2013, at the age of 92 inStaten Island,New York.[11]