Samuel Mark (bornMarkelevich; September 22, 1896 – August 9, 1980) was an American soccer club owner. During the 1920s and early 1930s he was the owner ofFall River FC, often referred to as theFall River Marksmen, one of the era's most successful teams. Mark's continued to own the team after it relocated and became theNew York Yankees and thenNew Bedford Whalers. He also briefly ownedBoston Soccer Club. He had played guard for the Massachusetts American Legion basketball team.
Mark was born inFall River, Massachusetts to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants from Kyiv.[1][2] His father, Mandel, changed the family surname to Mark in 1916 because of difficulties in spelling and pronouncing it.[3]
Mark initially established himself as a basketball and baseball promoter inMassachusetts and as well as owning several soccer clubs he also owned a semi-professional baseball team. He was not originally a soccer fan but was aware of the large crowds thatFall River Rovers attracted. In1922 he took over the American Soccer League'sFall River franchise. Mark was willing to invest in the club and one of his first moves was to buildMark's Stadium inNorth Tiverton, Rhode Island. Because the stadium was just over the Massachusetts border, the club was able to get round the state'sBlue Laws and play on a Sunday. It is also one of the earliest examples of asoccer-specific stadium in theUnited States.[4][5]
Under Sam Mark,Fall River F.C. became one of the most successful soccer clubs in the United States. During the 1920s and early 1930s they won theAmerican Soccer League on seven occasions. They also won theNational Challenge Cup four times. In1924 they also won the first ASL / Challenge Cupdouble and were subsequently theAmerican soccer champions three times in succession. Between1929 and1930 they won a further four titles in a row. In 1930 they also completed atreble, winning the ASL title, the Challenge Cup and the Lewis Cup.[6]
In 1929 theAmerican Soccer League and theUnited States Football Association became involved in a power struggle sometimes referred to as theSoccer Wars. This resulted in the emergence of two rival leagues - the ASL andEastern Soccer League. Many clubs suffered financially and during the dispute Mark's took over the strugglingBoston Soccer Club. He also acted as a mediator between the two rival leagues and helped negotiate a merger. However the rules of the new Atlantic Coast League forbid the ownership of two or more clubs. Mark decided to sell the Boston club but unable to find a buyer, he was forced to dissolve the team after just 4 games of theSpring 1930 season.[7][8]
By 1931 the effects of theSoccer Wars and theGreat Depression had seen attendances fall atMark's Stadium. As a result, Mark movedFall River F.C. toNew York, hoping that a new market there would be more lucrative. Once there he merged the club withNew York Soccer Club and named them theNew York Yankees. Before the merger was finalized, however, Fall River F.C. had entered theNational Challenge Cup and Mark was unable to re-register them as the Yankees. As a result, theSpring 1931 season saw them continue to play in the Challenge Cup as theFall River F.C. while at the same time playing as theNew York Yankees in theAmerican Soccer League. While theYankees only managed to finish third in the ASL, theMarksmen won the cup.[9][10][11]
Despite winning theNational Challenge Cup, the relocation toNew York was not a financial success and for theFall 1931 season Mark relocated theNew York Yankees toNew Bedford, Massachusetts where they merged withFall River F.C. and became theNew Bedford Whalers. This new team were theAmerican Soccer League champions for the Fall 1931 andSpring 1932 seasons but then folded during theFall 1932 season.[12][13]
The demise of theNew Bedford Whalers coincided with the collapse of the originalAmerican Soccer League. Mark subsequently turned his back on the game and became a nightclub owner.[14] However, by 1955 he had relocated toLos Angeles where he helped formLos Angeles Kickers, one of the city's first professional soccer teams. Mark used his contacts inFall River, Massachusetts to recruit players from his former hometown.[15]