David Stothard
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Stothard | ||
| Date of birth | June 27, 1937 | ||
| Place of birth | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955-1957 | Westminster Royals FC | ||
| 1958 | Vancouver Hale-Co FC | ||
| 1959-1962 | Westminster Royals FC | ||
| 1962-1968 | Victoria United / O'Keefe | ||
| 1965 | → Vancouver Firefighters FC (loan) | ||
| International career | |||
| 1957 | Canada | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
David Stothard (born 27 June 1937) is a former Canadian soccer player. He was a two-time national champion with Westminster Royals FC (1955 and 1960). He was Canada's starting fullback during FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1957[1] and Canada's tour of the Soviet Union and Britain in 1960. After his retirement, he became an honoured member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame.
In the Pacific Coast League, Stothard won six championships with three different clubs: three times with Westminster (1956, 1957, 1960-61), once with Vancouver Hale-Co FC (1958), and twice with Victoria O'Keefe (1966-67, 1967-68). He also helped Victoria reach the playoff final in 1965-66. He was a regular all-star selection, representing British Columbia in 10 of 11 seasons from 1956 through 1966.
While he primarily played right back, he could in fact play almost any position on the field. In 1962-63 with Victoria, he played several positions and led his team in scoring with a personal-best 13 goals. In 1965-66, he won the Austin Delany Memorial Trophy[2] as most valuable player of the Pacific Coast League.
Along with winning two Dominion titles, he won one national runner-up medal with Westminster in 1959. He also represented three separate clubs at the Pacific Coast International Championship: with Westminster in 1961 (second place), on loan with Vancouver Firefighters in 1965 (third place), and with Victoria in 1967 (winning the J.F. Kennedy Trophy).
In June 1968, he was asked to tryout for Canada's national team in preparation for FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, but he declined the invitation on account of his decision to retire from competitive football.[3]