 Newman circa 1975 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Vernon Newman | ||
| Date of birth | (1934-01-19)19 January 1934 | ||
| Place of birth | Fareham, England | ||
| Date of death | 27 August 2018(2018-08-27) (aged 84) | ||
| Place of death | Tampa, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Position(s) | Outside left,outside right | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1955 | Woking | ||
| 1955–1961 | Portsmouth | 108 | (21) |
| 1961–1962 | Leyton Orient | 14 | (1) |
| 1962–1963 | Crystal Palace | 6 | (0) |
| 1963–1967 | Gillingham | 93 | (20) |
| 1967–1968 | Atlanta Chiefs | 34 | (4) |
| 1968–1974 | Dallas Tornado | 20 | (2) |
| 1979 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1969–1975 | Dallas Tornado | ||
| 1976 | Los Angeles Skyhawks | ||
| 1977–1979 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | ||
| 1980 | Miami Americans | ||
| 1980–1994 | San Diego Sockers | ||
| 1995 | Arizona Sandsharks | ||
| 1996–1999 | Kansas City Wizards | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ronald Vernon Newman (19 January 1934 – 27 August 2018)[1] was an English professionalassociation football player and coach. He is a member of the AmericanNational Soccer Hall of Fame.
Born inFareham, Newman, afternon-league football withWoking, played in theFootball League withPortsmouth,Leyton Orient,Crystal Palace andGillingham.[2] While at Gillingham he became the second player ever to be introduced as a substitute in English professional football.[3]
In 1967 Newman came to the United States to play for theAtlanta Chiefs in theNational Professional Soccer League (where he was team MVP in 1967), before being traded to theDallas Tornado during the 1968 season. In addition to playing for the Tornado, Newman also served as an assistant coach during the 1968 season.
The next year, Newman became both the head coach, as well as a player, for the Tornado until 1974. At the end of that season, he retired from playing and became the team's dedicated head coach for the 1975 season. He took the Tornado to the NASL championship in 1971. In 1976, he coached theLos Angeles Skyhawks of theAmerican Soccer League (ASL), taking them to the ASL championship, making Newman the only coach to win both an NASL and ASL title. He then returned to the NASL in 1977 to coach theFort Lauderdale Strikers,[4] where he stayed until 1979. That season, he was forced to don a players uniform and play part of one game after a union strike decimated his team.[5]
In July 1980, Newman became coach of theSan Diego Sockers. While he had the best win/loss record as an outdoor soccer coach, and was named NASL coach of the year in 1971, 1977 and 1984,[6] as well as ASL coach of the year in 1976, he also made his mark inindoor soccer with San Diego with whom he won 10 championships in 11 seasons in two different leagues (NASL andMISL), only losing a semi-final in 1986–1987 to theTacoma Stars, bringing his career total to 13. Newman's innovations added new positions and tactics to the indoor game including thesixth attacker andsuper power play. He along withEddie Firmani andAl Miller are the only coaches to win both outdoor and indoor NASL titles.
Newman became the first coach hired by the MLS when he joined theKansas City Wizards ofMajor League Soccer in 1995. The Wizards won the Western Division title in 1997. Newman retired 1999 with an all-time coaching record of 753–296–27. He was inducted into theNational Soccer Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into the Dallas Walk of Fame 2006. He was also inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions,[7] as well as the Atlanta Soccer Hall of Fame. Newman received the 'Key of the City' in Fort Lauderdale and twice in San Diego. The championship trophy of theMajor Arena Soccer League was named the Ron Newman Cup when the present version of theSan Diego Sockers honoured him on 7 January 2012.[8]
Newman was the father of coach and retired playerGuy Newman. Guy served as an assistant coach on his father's staff in both San Diego and Kansas City.
Gillingham lose 1-0 at Peterborough. It was the first day that substitutes could be used and after 17 minutes Ron Newman becomes Gills' first substitute when he replaces the injured Gordon Pulley. In the wider scene, Ron was the second substitute in Football League history, the first being Charlton Athletic's outside-right and future Gillingham manager Keith Peacock.