Ben Collins (soccer)

Ben Collins is a retired Liberian soccer midfielder who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.

Ben Collins
Personal information
Date of birth (1961-06-12) June 12, 1961
Place of birth Monrovia, Liberia
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1980–1981 Morrisville State College
1982–1983 FIU Golden Panthers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984 Minnesota Strikers 1 (0)
1984–1985 Minnesota Strikers (indoor) 33 (13)
1985–1988 Chicago Sting (indoor) 139 (76)
1988–1989 Los Angeles Lazers (indoor) 30 (5)
1989 Orlando Lions
1989–1992 San Diego Sockers (indoor) 80 (30)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

College

In 1980, Collins began his collegiate soccer career with Morrisville State College in New York.[1] In 1994, he was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Hall of Fame.[2] He was inducted into the Morrisville Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.[3] In 1982, he transferred to Florida International University where he was a 1982 NCAA Division II First Team All American soccer player.[4] That year FIU won the NCAA Men's Division II Soccer Championship.

Professional

On October 26, 1983, the Buffalo Stallions selected Collins in the fourth round (40th overall) of the 1983 Major Indoor Soccer League Draft.[5] The Stallions cut him during the preseason. On July 27, 1984, the Minnesota Strikers of the North American Soccer League signed Collins on a 15-day contract to replace the injured Bruce Miller.[6] While he played only one game for the Strikers during the outdoor season, he remained with the team when it moved to the MISL in the fall of 1984. He became a regular in the Minnesota midfield through two seasons. On November 15, 1985, the Strikers traded Collins, its 1986 first round and 1987 second round draft pick to the Chicago Sting in exchange for Dan Canter.[7] Collins spent three seasons in Chicago. When the team folded following the 1987–1988 season, he signed with the Los Angeles Lazers as a free agent in August 1988.[8] When the Lazers folded at the end of the season, the Wichita Wings selected Collins in the Dispersal Draft.[9] That summer, he returned to outdoor soccer with the Orlando Lions of the American Soccer League.[10] When the Wichita Wings failed to sign Collins, he became a free agent and signed with the San Diego Sockers.[11] He was the 1991 MISL Championship MVP.[12] He had suffered from knee injuries during his career including losing nearly half of his first season with the Sockers. During the 1991–1992 season, he reinjured his knee in February 1992. He eventually had knee surgery and retired at the end of the season.

Yearly Awards
  • MISL Championship Series Player of the Year – 1990–91

References
  1. "VETERAN PLAYERS GIVE SUNBLAZERS TOUGHEST TEAM YET" Miami Herald Thursday, August 19, 1982
  2. NJCAA MEN’S SOCCER HALL OF FAME
  3. "Morrisville State". Morrisville State. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  4. Inc., Advanced Solutions International. "Awards". www.nscaa.com. Archived from the original on 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  5. "MISL DRAFTS FIU PLAYER" Miami Herald Thursday, October 27, 1983
  6. "MINNESOTA STRIKERS SIGN FIU'S COLLINS" Miami Herald Friday, July 27, 1984
  7. "OFF-FIELD FUSS KEEPS STING BUSY" Chicago Tribune Friday, November 15, 1985
  8. "SOCCER" USA TODAY Wednesday, August 31, 1988
  9. "SOCCER" USA TODAY Wednesday, July 12, 1989
  10. "ASL 1989 Season". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  11. "Sockers sign 2 midfielders for more depth" San Diego Union Tuesday, October 10, 1989
  12. "MISL Award Winners - MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League)". Retrieved 2018-05-04.
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