Lenin Steenkamp
Encyclopedia
Lenin Steenkamp is a retired South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n football player who spent his entire career in the United States.

College

In 1989, Steenkamp entered the College of Boca Raton on a soccer scholarship. Steenkamp was a 1989, 1991 and 1992 First Team NAIA All American soccer player. In 1989 and 1990, Boca Raton finished runner-up in the NAIA national men's soccer championship
NAIA national men's soccer championship
-Previous winners:* - Co-Champions.+ - Davis & Elkins vacated second place due to an ineligible player^ - Park vacated second place due to an ineligible player1963 Title game canceled due to Snow-Players:...

. In 1991, the school changed its name to Lynn University and the soccer team won the NAIA national championship. Steenkamp scored both goals in the final and was the tournament MVP. Steenkamp graduated in 1993 and is a member of the Lynn University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Club

During the 1992 college off-season, Steenkamp played for the Boca Raton Sabres
Boca Raton Sabres
The Boca Raton Sabres were a soccer club based in Boca Raton, Florida, that competed in the USISL.-Year-by-year:...

 of the USISL. In 1993, Steenkamp played for the amateur Club Boca Rotan. This brought him to the attention of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (APSL)
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team established in 1988 as part of the third American Soccer League. In 1990, it moved to the American Professional Soccer League where it spent five seasons before folding in 1994...

 who signed him for the 1994 American Professional Soccer League season. He missed the first nine games of the season because of visa problems. Then, in July and August 1994, the Strikers sent him on loan to the Carolina Vipers
Carolina Vipers
The Carolina Vipers were an indoor soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League. They played only one season in 1994...

 of the Continental Indoor Soccer League
Continental Indoor Soccer League
The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...

. In 1995, he moved to the Atlanta Ruckus
Atlanta Silverbacks
Atlanta Silverbacks is an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, having previously sat out the 2009 and 2010 seasons while the ownership...

. In October 1995, Steenkamp signed with the Tampa Bay Terror
Tampa Bay Terror
The Tampa Bay Terror were an indoor soccer team based in Tampa Bay, Florida that competed in the defunct National Professional Soccer League . The team existed for two seasons before folding: 1995-1996 and 1996-1997. The team's home games were held at the Bayfront Center. The two season that the...

 of the National Professional Soccer League. He was named to the 1995-1996 All Rookie Team. Steenkamp began the 1996 A-League season with the Ruckus, but was traded to the Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...

 in June 1996 despite leading the team with nine goals. The Impact then sent him to the Rochester Rhinos. Steenkamp remained with the Rhinos until his retirement. However, he continued to play indoor soccer, signing with the Buffalo Blizzard
Buffalo Blizzard
The Buffalo Blizzard was an indoor soccer team based in Buffalo, New York. The team was a member of the now defunct NPSL from 1992 to 2001. From 1992-1996, the team played at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, and they moved to HSBC Arena in 1996 where they played until 2001.The team was originally...

 in January 1997 and played through the end of the season.

In 2003, Steenkamp became an assistant coach with the Rhinos.

Inaugural Member of Rochester Rhinos Hall of Fame

On July 28, 2011, the Rochester Rhinos announced that Steenkamp will be the first member to be inducted to the new Rhinos Hall of Fame in a ceremony to take place at halftime during the August 5, 2011 match at Sahlen's Stadium. Steenkamp is the all time leader in games (268) and minutes played (21,613) for the Rochester Rhinos.

External links

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