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Eugene Van Taylor

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Eugene Van Taylor
Personal information
Full name Eugene Van Taylor, Jr.
Date of birth (1953-05-16) May 16, 1953 (age 71)
Place of birth Portsmouth, Ohio, United States
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
–1974 Erskine College
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1976 Miami Toros 18 (0)
1977 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0 (0)
1978 New York Eagles 20 (0)
1979–1980 Columbus Magic
1980 Baltimore Blast (indoor) 6 (0)
1980–1984 Phoenix Inferno (indoor) 51 (0)
Managerial career
1985–2015 Lander University
2011–2012 Palmetto FC Bantams
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Eugene Van Taylor is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League, three in the American Soccer League and five in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He retired in 2015 after thirty years as the head coach of the men’s soccer program at Lander University.[1]

Van Taylor graduated from West Essex High School where he was a Parade Magazine High School All American soccer player.[2] He attended Erskine College where he was a 1973 Honorable Mention (third team) All American soccer player. He graduated in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. In 1982, he was inducted into the Erskine College Athletic Hall of Fame.[3] He is ranked fourth on the NAIA single-game saves list.[4]

In 1975, the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League selected Van Taylor in the first round of the NASL draft, but he never made the first team. The Cosmos traded him to the Miami Toros in 1976 where he was Runner-Up for NASL 'Rookie of the Year'. In 1977, he played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers as Gordon Banks' backup before moving to the New York Eagles of the American Soccer League in 1978. In 1979 and 1980, he played of the Columbus Magic. In the fall of 1980, Van Taylor signed with the expansion Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He played six games then was traded to the Phoenix Inferno. He remained with the Inferno through the 1983-1984 season when the team was known as the Phoenix Pride.

In 1985, he was hired as the head coach of the Lander University men's soccer team where he amassed over 350 wins and retired in 2015 as one of the winningest coaches in NCAA Division II history. He is also former manager of PDL outfit, Palmetto FC Bantams.

References

  1. ^ Lander University Directory
  2. ^ Van Taylor, Lander Bearcats. Accessed July 20, 2019. "As a prep at West Essex High School in North Caldwell, N.J., Taylor was a Parade Magazine All-American and was inducted into the West Essex Hall of Fame in 1991."
  3. ^ "Erskine Athletic Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  4. ^ NAIA Soccer Records
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