Soccer: The Transition Years

I enjoyed the article by Bob Weiner in the spring 2001edition of UAlbany magazine, reviewing the soccer program’s 50 years of “struggle and greatness.” I was a member of the team in 1972 and 1973, a period I would consider the bridge from the team’s years of struggle to its early greatness. The 1972 team finished with a record of 1-10-1. Our lone victory was over Queens College, which I believe was the previous year’s NAIA champion or perhaps finalist. Other than that moment of glory, 1972 was mostly about survival and looking forward to a brighter future.

I spent part of the winter assisting Coach Schiefflin in recruiting the “kids out of the New York City area” mentioned in the article. I remember well showing some of Albany’s “night life” to Pasquale Petriccione (the individual in the center background photo of Frank Selca on page 19) and to Edgar Martinez, who I believe ended up being our leading scorer in 1973. That season also saw the arrival of Bobby Schlegel, a high school All-America from Long Island; Wayne Garrison, Arthur Bedford, Leroy Aldrich, Johnny Rolando and Jose “Chepe” Ruano. With these “fabulous freshmen” as the core of the team, and joined by Henry Obwald (our starting goalkeeper), Carlos Rovito, Dale Cobane, myself and others, we improved to a record of 8-4-1 in 1973 for an extremely fulfilling season.

In addition to my law practice, I still play soccer and volunteer as the assistant coach and trainer for a local high school girls’ team that has just finished a very rough inaugural season. I still use the story of the “turnaround” at Albany State (as we called it then) to point out that with a little hard work, persistence and the addition of a little talent, even a losing season can become the foundation of a great soccer tradition.

Mark Solano, B.A.’75, M.A.’77
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Soccer: The First Year

Readers of UAlbany magazine may be interested in learning that varsity soccer, highlighted in your spring edition, was initiated at the then-New York State College for Teachers before Joe Garcia became our first soccer coach.

Sometime during the 1948-49 school year a group of us looking to start a fall varsity sport successfully petitioned the Student Association to endorse and fund a varsity soccer team.

Although Athletic Director Merlin Hathaway could not serve as our day-to-day mentor, he provided guidance and support to the coach-less team as it organized itself, practiced hours on end, and played five or six matches in the fall of 1949 against teams from nearby colleges.

President Evan Collins then recruited Joe Garcia, a talented and energetic coach, for our second varsity season, and the rest is history.

I do not now remember the names of all the others who, like me, earned varsity letters for that first soccer year. But I do remember them well for having had the courage as sophomores to campaign for soccer and then to come out as juniors and seniors to play it.

Paul Kirsch, B.A.’51
Geneva, N.Y.

Kappa Beta Reunion

I just read the Kappa Beta article (January 2001) on-line. Terrific job! Many of the post-1960s (1960-1974) Kappa Beta brothers still get together periodically in the Albany area for mini-reunions and we are planning a big reunion for 2002. The last large reunion was in 1989 with over 100 brothers attending from all over the country. Thanks for writing such an informative article on the origins of “KB.”

Paul Michel, B.S.’67, M.S.’69
Clifton Park, N.Y.

Alumni Relations :

E-mail: msamuels@uamail.albany.edu
Mail: Melissa Samuels, Director
University at Albany
Office of Alumni Relations
University at Albany, SUNY
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Albany, NY 12222
Phone (518) 437-4493
Fax (518) 442-5839

Letters to the Editor:

E-mail: cmcknight@uamail.albany.edu
Mail: Christine Hanson McKnight
Editor, UAlbany Magazine
Office of Media & Marketing, UAB 209
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Albany, New York 12222
Phone (518) 437-4987,
Fax (518) 437-4990