| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1957-03-17)March 17, 1957 (age 68) | ||
| Place of birth | Port of Spain,Trinidad | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position | Forward /Defender | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1979 | Marquette Golden Eagles | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1980 | Edmonton Drillers | 8 | (1) |
| 1980–1981 | Edmonton Drillers(indoor) | 18 | (9) |
| 1981 | Atlanta Chiefs | 9 | (0) |
| 1981–1982 | Montreal Manic(indoor) | 18 | (2) |
| 1982 | Montreal Manic | 30 | (4) |
| 1983 | Team America | 16 | (2) |
| 1984 | Golden Bay Earthquakes | 2 | (0) |
| 1984 | Chicago Sting | 10 | (1) |
| 1984–1985 | Chicago Sting(indoor) | 31 | (7) |
| 1985–1986 | Chicago Shoccers(indoor) | 28 | (19) |
| 1986 | Chicago Sting(indoor) | 15 | (3) |
| 1986–1987 | Dallas Sidekicks (indoor) | 53 | (8) |
| 1987–1988 | Chicago Power(indoor) | ||
| 1988–1989 | Milwaukee Wave (indoor) | 27 | (14) |
| International career | |||
| 1984 | United States | 3 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1989–2005 | Cedarburg High School (girls) | ||
| 1989–2008 | Cedarburg High School (boys) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Hayden Knight (born March 15, 1957, inPort of Spain,Trinidad) is a retired Trinidad-Americansoccerdefender and currenthigh school soccer coach. He earned threecaps with theUnited States men's national soccer team in 1984.
Knight, a native ofTrinidad, moved to the United States with his family when he was a young boy. He grew up inBrooklyn,New York. When he was a sophomore, Knight attended high school inAppleton, Wisconsin, as part of a program known as 'A Better Chance'. This program placed inner-city youths in rural high schools. He attendedMarquette University where he played on the men's soccer team. He holds the team's career scoring record with 52 goals. He also holds the NCAA record for career assists per game with 42 in 44 games. Marquette inducted Knight into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. In college, he also played with theMilwaukee Bavarians.
Knight is one of 22 college players to be part of the 40-40 club, having both 40 goals and 40 assists in their college career.[1]
In 1980, theEdmonton Drillers drafted Knight. Although he starred in college as a forward, he moved to defense in the pros. He played a single season with the Drillers before moving to theAtlanta Chiefs. While with the Drillers, he received his first taste of indoor soccer when the Drillers won the 1980-1981 NASL indoor championship.[1] The Chiefs folded after the 1981 season and Knight moved north to theMontreal Manic for the 1982 season.
In 1983, theU.S. Soccer Federation, in coordination with the NASL, entered theU.S. national team, known asTeam America, into the NASL as a league franchise. The team drew on U.S. citizens playing in the NASL,Major Indoor Soccer League andAmerican Soccer League. Knight left the Manic and signed with Team America. When Team America finished the 1983 season with a 10–20 record, the worst in the NASL, USSF withdrew the team from the league. Knight moved to theGolden Bay Earthquakes for the 1984 season, but was traded to theChicago Sting withManny Rojas on July 10, 1984, in exchange forRicardo Alonso andCharlie Fajkus.[2] He remained with the Sting through the 1984-1985 MISL season and won the 1984 NASL championship with them. On May 10, 1985, the Sting released Knight.[2] In September 1985, Knight signed with theChicago Shoccers of theAmerican Indoor Soccer Association.[3] He was an AISA All Star and led the Shoccers in scoring despite playing defense. In March 1986, he rejoined the Sting and finished the 1985-1986 MISL season with them. On August 6, 1986, he signed with theDallas Sidekicks of theMajor Indoor Soccer League (MISL)as a free agent. On July 4, 1987, the team announced that they would not renew his contract and he again became a free agent. He signed with theMilwaukee Wave of theAmerican Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) where he played as a forward for the next two seasons. At the end of the 1987-1989 AISA season, Knight retired from playing professionally.
In 1984, Knight earned threecaps with theU.S. national team. The three games all came within a week as Knight played first on October 11 in a win overColombia, followed by a loss three days later toGuatemala and another loss three days after that toMexico.
That yearCedarburg High School inCedarburg, Wisconsin, hired Knight to coach the girls' soccer team as well as teach. Since then, Knight has remained at Cedarburg, teaching history and social studies as well as coaching both the girls' and boys' teams. In 2005, he resigned from the girls' team, afterbeatingprostate cancer, but resigned later from the boys' side in 2008 to take a technical directing job at the Mequon Soccer Club. The CHS won the state championships in 1989, 1991 and 1996.[3] He is also a staff coach at the Mequon Soccer Club. He is looking for his 300th win, then possibly retiring from soccer.