Ricky Davis

Rick’s soccer journey began in 1965 as a seven-year-old player in the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) in Claremont, CA. Now, some forty years later, he has come full circle and is the AYSO National Director of Programs. A few things happened between 1965 and 2005.

During his high school years he won the McGuire Cup (National Youth Championship) with the Santa Clara Broncos, and as a senior he was selected as a High School All-American. He made his first appearance with the U.S. Olympic and National teams while attending Santa Clara University as a freshman. He joined the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League (NASL) after playing one season at Santa Clara, and was with them from 1978 to 1984, appearing in a total of 154 games and scoring 15 goals. Rick was a member of the Cosmos’ NASL-champion teams in 1978, 1980 and 1982.  Following his time with the Cosmos he played with the St. Louis Steamers, NY Arrows and the Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Rick played his first full international against El Salvador in 1977, scoring a goal in this, his first appearance for the United States. He went on to play 36 full internationals for the U.S., which was a record at that time, and scored seven goals.  From 1984 onward he was the regular captain of the national team including leading it in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games.  A knee injury in 1989 ended his outdoor career.

During his professional playing career, he became a member of U.S. Soccer’s Board of Directors as an Athlete Representative and was also a member of the U.S. Soccer Founders Club that brought the World Cup to the U.S. He was also the spokesman for numerous commercial and charitable organizations. Among his many ventures after he retired Rick became a television analyst during the 1990 World Cup in Italy and the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. He continues to broadcast games for MLS and the Los Angeles Galaxy on Fox and KCAL Channel 9 in Los Angeles.

Rick and his wife Tina have a blended family of seven and they reside in Yorba Linda, CA. He was inducted into the AYSO Hall of Fame in 1998 and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001.

Hall of Famer Spotlight is a page dedicated to a randomly selected Hall of Famer each month. This Hall of Famer will be randomly selected by The National Soccer Hall of Fame Staff. This page will give a short biography/story of the selected Hall of Famer to show his/her contribution to the world's most popular sport.

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