|
 His
playing career began at the age of eight, in Milwaukee, in a
league sponsored by local German clubs.
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Personal Information |
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Class of 1985 |
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Born:
September 16, 1917
- Milwaukee, WI |
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Died: March 28, 2000 - Milwaukee, WI |
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As a senior player he first played with the Schwaben
Soccer Club and later for a club sponsored by the Falk
Corporation. The
Falk-sponsored team dominated play in local leagues, state
competitions and in 1941 reached the national semi-finals of
the National Amateur Cup. Gene served in the Marine Corps in World War Two, was
wounded in Okinawa, and on his discharge joined the
Swedish-American team of the National League of Chicago and
played for them from 1945 to 1953.
Later he returned to Milwaukee to play for the
Milwaukee Brewers and then Milwaukee Sport Club. He was elected to the National Board of Directors of
the USSFA as a third vice president in 1968 and was second and
first vice president until 1974 when he assumed the presidency
following the untimely death of president James McGuire. He was president of the U.S. Soccer Federation from
1974 to 1984 a member of the FIFA Amateur Committee, a member
of the CONCACAF Executive Committee and served on the
Executive Committee of the United States Olympic Committee. Manager of the United States teams at the 1971 and 1975
Pan American Games and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
Away from the soccer arena he was Vice President of
Public and Government Relations of the Blue Cross Plan of
Wisconsin.
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