Gary Muir: Difference between revisions
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==American college career== |
==American college career== |
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After playing for several schoolboy teams in Scotland during his teenage years, Muir chose to come to the [[United States]] in hopes of a 'soccer' scolarship. He struggled at first, with his poor [[SAT]] grades mading him ineligible to play at a D-I college. Finally the head coach at Louisburg College, [[North Carolina]] contacted Muir at the last minute to offer him a spot on the Louisburg team. Muir stated that "Coming to America at such a young age was very hard. I didn't know the people or the culture", as the [[Beverly Hills 90210|American lifestyle]] is very remote from the rather backward village of [[Stirling]] where the communal TV is still catching up to the latest episodes of [[I Dream of Jeannie]]. |
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After playing for various club teams in Europe during his teenage years, Muir had to choose between playing on a 2nd division professional team or coming to America to play for a college team. He chose to come to the United States in hopes of developing his skills further. His poor SAT grades made him ineligible to play at a D-I college. |
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| ⚫ | Muir was the captain of the Louisburg Hurricanes for two seasons. In 2005, he was named a 2nd team All-American in the NJCAA, and to the Division I All-Region 10 team. He was also named to the Mid-Atlantic district team. As a sophomore he took his team to the semi-finals in the NJCAA Championships and received the Region 10 Player of the Year Award, as well as being named the team MVP. |
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That changed when Dave Sexton, the head coach at Louisburg College (a junior college in North Carolina) contacted Muir at the last minute. Sexton had seen Muir play for a club team, and liked him enough to offer him a spot on the Louisburg team. Muir thought it was the best opportunity, so he left Europe and moved to North Carolina. "Coming to America at such a young age was very hard. I didn't know the people or the culture." The decision definitely paid off. |
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| ⚫ | When his sophomore season at Louisburg concluded, Muir was spotted and signed by University of Hartford head coach Dan Gaspar in Texas at the National Junior College Championships <ref>{{cite web|title=Great Scot: The Long Journey of Gary Muir|url=http://media.www.hartfordinformer.com/media/storage/paper146/news/2007/10/04/Sports/Great.Scot.The.Long.Journey.Of.Gary.Muir-3016007-page2.shtml|work=Cedric Quackenbush, Hartford Hawks' Official Website|accessdate=6 October 2008}}</ref>. 2006 saw Muir playing in all 17 games, scoring 3 goals, the second-highest for his team. He was also named most valuable player at the [[Hartwick College]] Invitational.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gary Muir; Player Profile|url=https://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=52097&SPID=5372&DB_OEM_ID=12400&ATCLID=593067|work=Hartford Sports Information, Hartford Hawks' Official .Website|accessdate=6 October 2008}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Muir was the captain of the Louisburg Hurricanes for two seasons. In 2005, he was named a 2nd team All-American in the NJCAA, and to the Division I All-Region 10 team |
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When his sophomore season at Louisburg concluded, Gary was tempted to head back to Europe and start playing professionally, but he had 36 Division I schools throwing themselves at him. That's when University of Hartford head coach Dan Gaspar came into the picture. Gaspar had been a coach for professional clubs prior to his time at Hartford. Gaspar went to Texas to watch the National Junior College Championships <ref>{{cite web|title=Great Scot: The Long Journey of Gary Muir|url=http://media.www.hartfordinformer.com/media/storage/paper146/news/2007/10/04/Sports/Great.Scot.The.Long.Journey.Of.Gary.Muir-3016007-page2.shtml|work=Cedric Quackenbush, Hartford Hawks' Official Website|accessdate=6 October 2008}}</ref> |
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==Professional career== |
==Professional career== |
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Revision as of 18:26, 30 September 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Muir | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Airdrie United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008 | Stirling Albion | (0) | |
| 2008–2009 | Lisburn Distillery | ||
| 2009 | Clyde | (0) | |
| 2010– | Airdrie United | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 July 2010 | |||
Gary Muir (born 15 December 1985 in Stirling) is a Scottish professional footballer currently with Airdrie United.
American college career
After playing for several schoolboy teams in Scotland during his teenage years, Muir chose to come to the United States in hopes of a 'soccer' scolarship. He struggled at first, with his poor SAT grades mading him ineligible to play at a D-I college. Finally the head coach at Louisburg College, North Carolina contacted Muir at the last minute to offer him a spot on the Louisburg team. Muir stated that "Coming to America at such a young age was very hard. I didn't know the people or the culture", as the American lifestyle is very remote from the rather backward village of Stirling where the communal TV is still catching up to the latest episodes of I Dream of Jeannie.
Muir was the captain of the Louisburg Hurricanes for two seasons. In 2005, he was named a 2nd team All-American in the NJCAA, and to the Division I All-Region 10 team. He was also named to the Mid-Atlantic district team. As a sophomore he took his team to the semi-finals in the NJCAA Championships and received the Region 10 Player of the Year Award, as well as being named the team MVP.
When his sophomore season at Louisburg concluded, Muir was spotted and signed by University of Hartford head coach Dan Gaspar in Texas at the National Junior College Championships [1]. 2006 saw Muir playing in all 17 games, scoring 3 goals, the second-highest for his team. He was also named most valuable player at the Hartwick College Invitational.[2]
Professional career
Muir featured for Stirling Albion and signed with the club until the end of the 2007–08 season.[3] He then signed for Lisburn Distillery for the 2008–09 season.[4][5][6] Muir was an important player for Distillery in his first season, starting every game, scoring 9 goals, picking up 13 assists and being named man of the match 11 times. Distillery finished fourth in the IPL, qualifying for the preliminary qualification rounds of the UEFA Europa League. This success led him to return to Scotland with Clyde in September 2009 for a 3 month trial period.[7] He was released from his contract a fortnight early, leaving the club on 13 December.
He then trialed briefly at professional League of Ireland club Cork City F.C. in January 2010, eventually returning to the IPL at Ballymena United F.C for the remainder or the 2009/2010 season. Following this, he once again crossed the water to sign for Airdrie United for the 2010/11 season.
References
- ^ "Great Scot: The Long Journey of Gary Muir". Cedric Quackenbush, Hartford Hawks' Official Website. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
- ^ "Gary Muir; Player Profile". Hartford Sports Information, Hartford Hawks' Official .Website. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
- ^ "Latest News, 29th March 2008". Scott McLean, Stirling Albion's Official Website. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
- ^ BBC
- ^ BBC
- ^ BBC
- ^ "Muir Makes Bully Wee Switch". clydefc.co.uk. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
External links
- Gary Muir at Soccerbase