'His legacy is already cast in gold': why US soccer owes a debt to Ron Newman

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https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/04/ron-newman-nasl-soccer-america

'His legacy is already cast in gold': why US soccer owes a debt to Ron Newman

The ex-Pompey forward, now 80, accrued a US-record 753 wins in outdoor and indoor soccer, and did more than anyone to set the American game on its way

After finishing with the best regular-season record in the North American Soccer League the previous year, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers endured an atrocious start to the 1978 season. They were a sorry 0-3 and outscored by an astounding 13-2 margin. So for their next home game at Lockhart Stadium on 22 April, the team decided to do something about that.

A pre-game funeral procession was held. A hearse was driven to the middle of the field and a coffin was taken out. Head coach Ron Newman popped out of the coffin, ran to a microphone and exclaimed: “We’re not dead yet!” The crowd of 7,718 went wild and the Strikers went on to a 2-0 victory. That result helped right Fort Lauderdale, who went on to reach the play-off semi-finals. Vintage Ron Newman.