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 Hank
was Secretary General of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) from
1990 to 2000 a decade in which soccer in the United States made huge strides
both on and off the field.
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Personal Information |
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Class of 2005 |
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Born: July 11, 1947 - Rockaway Beach, NY |
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He organized two highly successful FIFA
World Cup soccer competitions, the Men's in 1994 and the Women's in 1999 and
helped established Major League Soccer. A life-long soccer enthusiast, Hank
brought a unique blend of soccer and corporate marketing knowledge and
experience to the United States Soccer Federation, which saw soccer break
into the sports mainstream for the first time.
Steinbrecher first became interested in
soccer as a youth in New York, and eventually found himself taking the field
as a star collegiate player for an NAIA National Championship team Davis &
Elkins, a small collegiate soccer power in the mountains of West Virginia.
To continue his soccer career, he migrated
toward coaching where he compiled an impressive record at Appalachian State
(1977-1979) and Boston University (1980-1985) both Division 1 programs. In
his time on the touchline, his teams produced 14 All-Americans and 11
tournament teams.
It is for his administrative abilities that
Hank Steinbrecher is best known nationally. Under his guidance as
Secretary General of the USSF soccer in the United States experienced
unprecedented growth. After he joined the Federation on November 5,
1990, the size of the full time Federation staff tripled to well over 100
and the referee program swelled to 100,00-plus members nationwide, while the
number of coaches increased to more than 80,000, and U.S. Soccer's full time
coaching staff grew from one to 25.Perhaps most importantly, though, he took
a lead role in marketing the sport to potential sponsors, helping U.S.
Soccer's corporate family grow from two to nearly two-dozen in the years
leading up to the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
His first taste of the sports business came
when he served as the Harvard University soccer venue director during the
1984 Olympic Games. Under his managerial direction, the venue sold out every
event, helping to swell the Olympic soccer attendance total at the '84 Games
to more than 1.4 million, more than any other Olympic sport.
His success in organizing the Olympic soccer
matches in Boston lead to his move to The Quaker Oats Company as director of sports marketing, where he spearheaded Gatorade's rise to
prominence in the 1980's.
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