Manfred "Manny" Schellscheidt (born January 7, 1941) is a German-American soccer coach and former player. Born in
SolingenSolingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...
in the Prussian
Rhine ProvinceThe Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
, he emigrated to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1970s. He spent three seasons in the
North American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
and one in the
American Soccer LeagueThe 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...
. He won two U.S. Open Cup and one American Soccer League title as a player as well as two professional championships as a coach. Schellscheidt is a member of the
National Soccer Hall of FameThe National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
.
Player
In 1964, Schellscheidt was visiting his aunt in New York when he was recruited by the coach of
Elizabeth S.C.Elizabeth SC is an inactive American soccer club based in Union County, New Jersey that is an inactive member of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League.- History :...
He played a handful of games before returning to Germany. After graduating from the
German Sport University CologneGerman Sport University Cologne is a sport university in Cologne, Germany. It is the largest sports university in Europe with more than 5,000 students...
(Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln) in Cologne,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in 1967, he played professionally for
Union Solingen1. FC Union Solingen is a German association football club from Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia.- History :The side can trace its roots back to an earlier Union Solingen club founded in 1897 out of the merger of a number of clubs from the district of Ohligs that would over time include Ohligs FC...
and
SC Fortuna KölnSC Fortuna Köln is a German association football club playing in the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The club was formed as on 21 February 1948 through the merger of three local sides: Victoria Köln 1911 , Bayenthaler SV 1920, and Sparkassen-Verein Köln 1927...
before moving to the United States. When he arrived in the United States, he immediately rejoined
Elizabeth S.C.Elizabeth SC is an inactive American soccer club based in Union County, New Jersey that is an inactive member of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League.- History :...
of the
German American Soccer LeagueThe German American Soccer League is the previous name of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, a semi-professional and amateur soccer league which was founded in 1923. The league competes primarily in the New York metropolitan area and northern New Jersey.-History:In 1923, five teams, S.C. New York,...
. He was a member of the team when it won both the 1970 and 1972 U.S. Open Cups. In 1973, he signed with the
Philadelphia AtomsThe Philadelphia Atoms were a soccer team based out of Philadelphia that played in the North American Soccer League . They played from 1973 to 1976, at Veterans Stadium and Franklin Field ....
of the
North American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
(NASL). The Atoms won the NASL title that year. In 1974, he became a player-coach with the
Rhode Island OceaneersThe Rhode Island Oceaneers was an American soccer club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island that was a member of the American Soccer League.-History:...
in the
American Soccer LeagueThe 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...
. He took the team to the ASL championship and was named the 1974 ASL Coach of the Year. He returned to the NASL the next season with the Hartford Bicentennials.
Coach
After playing two seasons in Hartford, Schellscheidt became the head coach of the
New Jersey AmericansThe New Jersey Americans was an American soccer club based in New Brunswick, New Jersey that was a member of the American Soccer League. The team won the ASL championship in 1977, in only its second year of existence....
in 1977 winning another league title that season. He also coached in the North American Soccer League and in 1975 became coach of the
United States national teamThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. He also led the U.S. team in the
1984 OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
.
In 1988, Schellscheidt was named coach of the
Seton Hall UniversitySeton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
men's team. The Pirates initially experienced success under Schellscheidt, winning two Big East championships, eight NCAA tournament berths, seven conference title game appearances and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2001 while having had only one losing season during his first eighteen seasons at the helm. The Pirates, however, have not been successful recently, posting losing records in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 consecutively. Schellscheidt stepped down as the coach of Seton Hall on November 28, 2011.
In 1990, Schellscheidt was inducted into the
National Soccer Hall of FameThe National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
.
Personal life
Schellscheidt resides in
Union Township, Union County, New JerseyUnion is a Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms...
with his wife, Annette. Their son
Karl SchellscheidtKarl Schellscheidt is an American soccer player, educator and entrepreneur. He was born on April 28, 1968 and was raised in Union, New Jersey. He is the son of soccer coach and player Manfred "Manny" Schellschedit...
played soccer at
Princeton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. They also have two daughters, Jackie and Janet.
In 1992, Schellscheidt published a book,
Youth League: Soccer Skills - Mastering the Ball.
External links