Laurie Calloway
Encyclopedia
Laurence John "Laurie" Calloway (born 17 June 1945 in Birmingham
, England
) is a retired English-U.S. soccer defender
who spent thirteen years in the English leagues and six years in the North American Soccer League
.
Since retiring from playing professionally, Calloway has coached teams in several U.S. leagues. He is currently manager of the Des Moines Menace
for the second time.
in 1962, but failed to make an appearance for their first team. He remained with Wolves until 1964 when he dropped down the league to join Rochdale
where he would spent four seasons.
He spent the next thirteen years as a journeyman
bouncing from one lower division club to another. In 1968 Calloway moved to Second Division Blackburn Rovers
. After two seasons with Rovers he was sent to Division Four club Southport
in August 1970 in exchange for Alex Russel. A year later Southport transferred Calloway to fellow Division Four club York City
. He left York to his final English club Shrewsbury Town
in 1972, where he remained for two seasons.
. He signed with the San Jose Earthquakes. Over the next twenty-two years, he would return time and time again to the San Francisco Bay Area
as both a player and a coach. From 1974 until 1977, Calloway became an integral part of the Earthquakes. His playing time peaked in 1977 when he saw time in 26 games and scored two goals. However, he received his greatest recognition in his first year with the team when he was selected as an NASL All Star Honorable Mention (third team).
In 1978, he left the Earthquakes to coach the Southern California Lazers
of the American Soccer League
(ASL), but was back in San Jose for the 1979 season. That year, he saw his lowest time on the field and he retired at the end of the season.
of the ASL during 1978, its only season in existence. When he retired from the Earthquakes in 1979, he then held various assistant coaching positions before being selected for his second head coaching position with the California Surf
of the NASL. The team hired him in 1981 to replace Peter Wall. However, the Surf lasted only to the end of the 1981 season before folding.
Two years later, on March 14, 1983, the Seattle Sounders
(NASL) hired Calloway as their new head coach. For the third time in his career, he was the head coach for a team in its last year in existence. Calloway took the team to a 12-18 record and third place in the Western Division. The Sounders folded at the end of the 1983 season, then the NASL collapsed at the end of the 1984 season. However, Peter Bridgwater
, owner of the Earthquakes entered the Earthquakes in the Western Soccer Alliance, a loose collection of previously unaffiliated amateur and semi-pro “super clubs”. Bridgwater hired Calloway who took the Earthquakes to a 4-1-2 record and the alliance title. That was the best the Earthquakes did until it folded after the 1988 season. That season the Earthquakes finished third in the alliance, its best finish since the 1985 season.
With the collapse of the Earthquakes, the WSA awarded a new Bay Area team, the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
in 1989. In 1991, the Blackhawks hired Calloway as the team’s second head coach. He then took the Blackhawks to the 1991 APSL
championship. That victory put the Blackhawks into the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Under Calloway’s direction, the Blackhawks went to the semifinals, only to lose to Club América
on a 4-3 aggregate. Calloway coached the Blackhawks through the end of the 1992 season. The 1992 season was also characterized by antagonism between Calloway and a young forward by the name of Eric Wynalda
. The feud between the two culminated when Wynalda launched into a tirade against Calloway after he was subbed out of a game. Calloway kicked Wynalda off the team and Wynalda left the U.S. for Germany two weeks later.
The announcement of the formation of a new U.S. division one league, Major League Soccer
, Peter Bridgwater became instrumental in the formation of a new San Jose franchise. On December 7, 1995, he signed Calloway as the first head coach of the new team, the San Jose Clash. Ironically, given the problems Calloway had with Wynalda during their time together with the Blackhawks, the club signed Wynalda on January 23, 1996. The team continued to sign previous Blackhawks players, including Paul Bravo
, John Doyle and Troy Dayak
. While Calloway took these players to great success with the Blackhawks, he failed with the Clash. On April 6, 1996, the team began with a bang, it won the first game in league history on a goal by Wynalda, also the league’s first. However, the team finished the season at 15-17 and the 1997 season went even worse. Eric Wynalda again became a source of friction with Calloway. At one point Wynalda hired an airplane to tow a banner demanding the team fire Calloway. Calloway also made numerous lineup changes which prevented the team from developing cohesive play. On June 25, 1997, midway through the season, Bridgwater had enough and fired Calloway. He left the team with a 21-29 record.
Calloway then moved to the U.S. Fourth Division
club Des Moines Menace
. In 2002, Calloway was league Coach of the Year when he took the Menace to an undefeated regular season record.
On November 18, 2002, Calloway resigned from Des Moines to take job with expansion U.S. second division
club Syracuse Salty Dogs
. The team lasted only two seasons (2003 and 2004) before folding in October 2004. Calloway took the team to a 26-20-10 record in its two seasons.
Two months later, on December 14, 2004, the Rochester Raging Rhinos
, also a second division club, named Calloway as the club’s new coach. On October 23, 2006, the Rhinos signed Calloway to three year extension of his contract. In 2008, he officially resigned as head coach of the Rhinos.
During a November 18, 2009 press conference, the Des Moines Menace named Calloway the PDL Head Coach and Menace Academy's Director of Coaching.
This is Calloway's second stint with the USL Premier Development Club. Owner of the Menace Kyle Krause had the following to say about Calloway, “It’s exciting to bring back Laurie. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. It’s a unique opportunity to bring back a coach who’s coached and played at the highest level in the United States.”
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a retired English-U.S. soccer defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
who spent thirteen years in the English leagues and six years in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
.
Since retiring from playing professionally, Calloway has coached teams in several U.S. leagues. He is currently manager of the Des Moines Menace
Des Moines Menace
Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference.The team plays its home games at Valley...
for the second time.
England
Calloway began his professional playing career with Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
in 1962, but failed to make an appearance for their first team. He remained with Wolves until 1964 when he dropped down the league to join Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
where he would spent four seasons.
He spent the next thirteen years as a journeyman
Journeyman (sports)
A journeyman or journeywoman is an athlete or professional sports player who is technically competent, but unable to excel. In certain parts of the world the term has less negative connotations and the inability to excel is not needed for a player to be labelled thus.-Definitions:Alexandra Allred...
bouncing from one lower division club to another. In 1968 Calloway moved to Second Division Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. After two seasons with Rovers he was sent to Division Four club Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
in August 1970 in exchange for Alex Russel. A year later Southport transferred Calloway to fellow Division Four club York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
. He left York to his final English club Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
in 1972, where he remained for two seasons.
NASL
In 1974, Calloway left England to try his fortunes with the North American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
. He signed with the San Jose Earthquakes. Over the next twenty-two years, he would return time and time again to the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
as both a player and a coach. From 1974 until 1977, Calloway became an integral part of the Earthquakes. His playing time peaked in 1977 when he saw time in 26 games and scored two goals. However, he received his greatest recognition in his first year with the team when he was selected as an NASL All Star Honorable Mention (third team).
In 1978, he left the Earthquakes to coach the Southern California Lazers
Southern California Lazers
The Southern California Lazers were an American soccer club based in Torrance, California that was a member of the American Soccer League.-1978 Roster: John McGeady Sid Wallace 24 Apps 14 Goals John Granville Jack Howarth Rildo-Year-by-year:...
of the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
(ASL), but was back in San Jose for the 1979 season. That year, he saw his lowest time on the field and he retired at the end of the season.
Coaching career
With his retirement from playing, Calloway became a full time coach, a job he would remain with for the next thirty years. As previously mentioned, he held his first head coaching position with the Southern California LazersSouthern California Lazers
The Southern California Lazers were an American soccer club based in Torrance, California that was a member of the American Soccer League.-1978 Roster: John McGeady Sid Wallace 24 Apps 14 Goals John Granville Jack Howarth Rildo-Year-by-year:...
of the ASL during 1978, its only season in existence. When he retired from the Earthquakes in 1979, he then held various assistant coaching positions before being selected for his second head coaching position with the California Surf
California Surf
The California Surf were a soccer club based in Anaheim, California who played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1981. Their home field was Anaheim Stadium.They originally were the St. Louis Stars...
of the NASL. The team hired him in 1981 to replace Peter Wall. However, the Surf lasted only to the end of the 1981 season before folding.
Two years later, on March 14, 1983, the Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders (NASL)
The Seattle Sounders were a U.S. professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1974, the team belonged to the North American Soccer League where it played both indoor and outdoor soccer. The team folded after the 1983 NASL outdoor season.-Stadium:The Sounders played at Memorial...
(NASL) hired Calloway as their new head coach. For the third time in his career, he was the head coach for a team in its last year in existence. Calloway took the team to a 12-18 record and third place in the Western Division. The Sounders folded at the end of the 1983 season, then the NASL collapsed at the end of the 1984 season. However, Peter Bridgwater
Peter Bridgwater
Peter Bridgwater was the first president of the San Jose Clash—later known as the San Jose Earthquakes—Major League Soccer franchise. Prior to arriving in the Bay Area, Bridgwater was an executive of the Vancouver Whitecaps franchise in the North American Soccer League...
, owner of the Earthquakes entered the Earthquakes in the Western Soccer Alliance, a loose collection of previously unaffiliated amateur and semi-pro “super clubs”. Bridgwater hired Calloway who took the Earthquakes to a 4-1-2 record and the alliance title. That was the best the Earthquakes did until it folded after the 1988 season. That season the Earthquakes finished third in the alliance, its best finish since the 1985 season.
With the collapse of the Earthquakes, the WSA awarded a new Bay Area team, the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks was a professional soccer team which came into existence in 1989 as a team in the Western Soccer League . The Blackhawks spent time in the American Professional Soccer League and the United States Interregional Soccer League...
in 1989. In 1991, the Blackhawks hired Calloway as the team’s second head coach. He then took the Blackhawks to the 1991 APSL
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League is a former professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the original North American Soccer League...
championship. That victory put the Blackhawks into the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Under Calloway’s direction, the Blackhawks went to the semifinals, only to lose to Club América
Club América
Club América is a Mexican Professional football club based in Mexico City. It competes in the Primera División, the top professional league in the country. The team's nickname is Las Águilas ....
on a 4-3 aggregate. Calloway coached the Blackhawks through the end of the 1992 season. The 1992 season was also characterized by antagonism between Calloway and a young forward by the name of Eric Wynalda
Eric Wynalda
Eric Boswell Wynalda is a retired American soccer player, and former sports broadcaster. He was the co-host of Fox Football Fone-In on Fox Soccer Channel and is currently employeed as the president of international operations at Mexican third division club Murcielagos.Wynalda scored the first goal...
. The feud between the two culminated when Wynalda launched into a tirade against Calloway after he was subbed out of a game. Calloway kicked Wynalda off the team and Wynalda left the U.S. for Germany two weeks later.
The announcement of the formation of a new U.S. division one league, Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, Peter Bridgwater became instrumental in the formation of a new San Jose franchise. On December 7, 1995, he signed Calloway as the first head coach of the new team, the San Jose Clash. Ironically, given the problems Calloway had with Wynalda during their time together with the Blackhawks, the club signed Wynalda on January 23, 1996. The team continued to sign previous Blackhawks players, including Paul Bravo
Paul Bravo
Paul Bravo is a former American soccer midfielder and forward who played six seasons in Major League Soccer, two in the American Professional Soccer League and two in the USISL. He also earned four caps, scoring one goal, with the United States men's national soccer team...
, John Doyle and Troy Dayak
Troy Dayak
Troy Dayak is a former American soccer player who played as central defender. He spent his entire Major League Soccer career with the San Jose Clash/Earthquakes and nearly all of his professional career playing for Bay Area teams.-San Francisco Bay Blackhawks:Dayak grew up in Walnut Creek,...
. While Calloway took these players to great success with the Blackhawks, he failed with the Clash. On April 6, 1996, the team began with a bang, it won the first game in league history on a goal by Wynalda, also the league’s first. However, the team finished the season at 15-17 and the 1997 season went even worse. Eric Wynalda again became a source of friction with Calloway. At one point Wynalda hired an airplane to tow a banner demanding the team fire Calloway. Calloway also made numerous lineup changes which prevented the team from developing cohesive play. On June 25, 1997, midway through the season, Bridgwater had enough and fired Calloway. He left the team with a 21-29 record.
Calloway then moved to the U.S. Fourth Division
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
club Des Moines Menace
Des Moines Menace
Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference.The team plays its home games at Valley...
. In 2002, Calloway was league Coach of the Year when he took the Menace to an undefeated regular season record.
On November 18, 2002, Calloway resigned from Des Moines to take job with expansion U.S. second division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
club Syracuse Salty Dogs
Syracuse Salty Dogs
The Syracuse Salty Dogs were a professional men's soccer team based in Syracuse, New York. The club were a member of the USL A-League, playing only two seasons from 2003-2004. The club was owned and operated by the Syracuse Pro Sports Group and played most home games at P&C Stadium...
. The team lasted only two seasons (2003 and 2004) before folding in October 2004. Calloway took the team to a 26-20-10 record in its two seasons.
Two months later, on December 14, 2004, the Rochester Raging Rhinos
Rochester Raging Rhinos
The Rochester Rhinos are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the National Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, having self-relegated from the USSF D2 Pro League...
, also a second division club, named Calloway as the club’s new coach. On October 23, 2006, the Rhinos signed Calloway to three year extension of his contract. In 2008, he officially resigned as head coach of the Rhinos.
During a November 18, 2009 press conference, the Des Moines Menace named Calloway the PDL Head Coach and Menace Academy's Director of Coaching.
This is Calloway's second stint with the USL Premier Development Club. Owner of the Menace Kyle Krause had the following to say about Calloway, “It’s exciting to bring back Laurie. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. It’s a unique opportunity to bring back a coach who’s coached and played at the highest level in the United States.”