Alketas Panagoulias

Alketas Panagoulias
Αλκέτας Παναγούλιας'

Personal information
Full name	Alketas Panagoulias
Date of birth	(1934-05-30)30 May 1934
Place of birth	Thessaloniki, Greece
Date of death	18 June 2012 (Age 78)
Place of death	Virginia, USA
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Aris
Managerial career
1967–1971	Greek American Atlas
1972–1973	Greece (asst.)
1973–1976	Greece
1977–1981	Greece
1981–1983	Olympiacos
1983–1985	United States
1983	Team America
1985–1987	Olympiacos
1987–1990	Aris
1992–1994	Greece
1997	Iraklis
1998–1999	Aris
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alketas ("Alkis") Panagoulias (Template:Lang-el) (30 May 1934 - 18 June 2012) was a Greek association football player and manager. He managed the national teams of both Greece and the United States. He also managed several clubs, including Olympiacos, whom he managed to three Alpha Ethniki championships.

Football career

Alketas started his football career as a player for Aris Thessaloniki F.C. in Thessaloniki, Greece. After finishing his first degree, he moved to the United States, where he attended the University of New York City. There he coached the Greek American Atlas (former "New York Greek Americans") to three consecutive U.S. Open Cup titles in 1967, 1968, and 1969. He returned to Athens, Greece as the assistant coach of the Greece national football team, under the famous Northern Ireland coach Billy Bingham, in 1972. In the next year, he became Head Coach of the Greek National Football team. He coached the Greek team from 1973–1981, including the first appearance of Greece in the Euro of 1980, in Italy. That remained the only time Greece had qualified for the Euro tournament until 2004, when they won the championship. He coached the famous Olympiacos C.F.P. from 1981–1983, earning the championship title in 1982 and 1983. He returned to the United States to become the Head Coach of the United States men's national soccer team, Team America, based in Washington, DC, RFK Stadium, from 1983 - 1985. He served as Head coach of the United States Olympic Soccer team in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He subsequently returned to Athens, Greece to coach Olympiacos C.F.P., earning the championship title in 1987. He also coached Aris FC from 1987- 1990. He returned as Head Coach of the Greek National Football team in 1992 and led the team to its first appearance in a World Cup in 1994. He coached Iraklis FC in 1997 and coached Aris Thessaloniki F.C. from 1998- 1999.

Later career

Following his retirement from coaching, Panagoulias served as President of Aris Thessaloniki F.C. in 2002. During the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, he served as venue manager for the soccer events held in Athens. His biography, was published in Greece in November 2007.

He was elected member of the city council of Thessaloniki, and was a candidate for the Greek Parliament and a candidate for the European Parliament representing Greece. He was a FIFA instructor, a National Faculty member of the US Academy of Sports and a member of the USSF Coaches Council.

He was a member of the USA Soccer Federation Hall of Fame.

Personal life

He was the father of two: Daughter Despina and son John. He died at the age of 78 at his home in Virginia, USA

External links

• The Greek
• The Long, Hard Struggle To Mold An American Team
• Explaining The Lack of American Coaches Abroad
• Red, White, Blue and New