Jump to content

Pito Villanon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bender the Bot (talk | contribs) at 06:13, 5 October 2016 (top: http→https for Google Books and Google News using AWB). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Pito Villanon
Personal information
Place of birth Cuba
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948-1958 Brookhattan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pito Villanon was a Cuban football (soccer) player who spent eleven seasons with Brookhattan in the American Soccer League. At the time, he was one of a handful of black professional athletes, playing in an integrated American sports league.[1] He is reputedly the first black player in the American Soccer League.[2]

During his eleven seasons in the ASL, Villanon led the league in scoring twice (1948-49, 1952-53).[3] He was also the 1952-53 ASL MVP. In 1948, Villanon and his teammates finished runner-up in the 1948 National Challenge Cup. They also finished runner-up in league play in 1954.[4]

References