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 Take a look at
many histories of the World Cup and you will find the same
story. It concerns a man named John "Jock" Coll, who
was the trainer, of the U.S. World Cup team in 1930. That is
trainer, as in the man with the magic sponge, who rushes onto
the field to treat any and all kinds of injuries, and not
trainer, as in another word for coach. As the story goes, Coll
rushed onto the field in the second half of the World Cup
semi-final between the U.S. and Argentina at the Centenario
Stadium in Montevideo. At some point his case fell open, a
bottle of chloroform fell out, it broke, and he was overcome by
the fumes and had to be carried off. Some stories say that Coll
rushed onto the field to protest a decision by the referee,
others that he ran on when a U.S. player was injured.
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Personal Information |
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Class of 1986 |
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Born:
1893 - Downpatrick, No. Ireland |
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Died: Glasgow, Scotland |
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Whatever, the stories all make Jock Coll appear to be something
of a comic character, and the incident would not seem amiss in
one of those old Charlie Chaplin movies.
But did it
really happen? Who was Jock Coll anyway? Did trainers in those
days, or even today, carry bottles of chloroform onto the field
with them? The official World Cup report of U.S. team manager
Wilfred Cummings written on his return to the U.S. contains the
following. "Number three (goal) followed closely, only
after Andy Auld had his lip ripped wide open and one of the
players from across the La Platte River had knocked the smelling
salts out of Trainer Coll's hand and into Andy's eyes,
temporarily blinding one of the outstanding 'little stars' of
the World's Series." So is that what really happened?
Is the Auld incident the basis for the Coll story? We may never
know for sure, but they do sound suspiciously alike, and Auld
did spend most of the second half with a rag stuffed in his
mouth, something that is clearly verified by photographs. So who
was Jock Coll and was he the comic character he is made out to
be in World Cup books? The answer is clearly, No!
According to a
story that appeared in the April 3, 1930 edition of the magazine
Soccer Star, published in New York, Jock was without doubt
one of the top men in his profession. Also known as Jack, he was
born in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland in 1893. In
fact the U.S. players credit him in part for their success, for
he was the one who got them all fit on board the S.S. Munargo as
they sailed down to Rio de Janeiro before going on to Uruguay.
The article
notes that Coll's parents left Ireland and moved to Scotland
when he was eight years old, and that he grew up in Glasgow. It
states that he obtained his first job in 1912 as trainer to the
Springburn White Rose soccer team, then moved on to the same
position with Townhead Benburbs. In 1915 he was appointed to
handle the famous Parkhead team, one of the leading junior clubs
in Scotland, and that during his seven years with them they won
every junior honor in the Scottish game.
Apparently in
addition to soccer Coll also trained the famous Maryhill
Harriers relay team, composed of many great Scottish athletes,
and the Irish athletic team that competed against England and
Scotland in Glasgow in 1922.
According to
Soccer Star for his fine work on that occasion he received a
testimonial letter from the Irish Amateur Athletic Association.
Coll also turned his talents to boxing and he worked with the
United Scottish Amateur Boxing Association handling many famous
Scottish boxers including Jack Turner, the lightweight champion
of Scotland.
Jock Coll moved
to the U.S. in December 1922 and was immediately in demand. He
trained New York Football Club in the American Soccer League and
then the Scullin Steel team of St. Louis in the U.S. Open Cup
competition of 1923. The following season he was with the New
York Giants of the ASL, and then the Chicago Bricklayers, before
settling with the Brooklyn Wanderers for seven seasons.
He was also the
trainer for the U.S. national team in 1925 for a game against
Canada, and was awarded an international cap. The cap, the first
one we have ever heard of being awarded by the U.S., was said to
be made up of eight blue segments with a while tassle on top. On
the front are the words "U.S. vs CANADA 1925." The cap
is in the possession of his family in Scotland.
During the
years of World War II he was the trainer for Brooklyn Hispano
of the ASL, and during that time his team won the U.S. Open Cup,
in 1943 and 1944.
Later in life
he returned to Scotland to live and that is where he died. He
was inducted into The National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986. |
