Charlie Mitchell (footballer)

Charlie Mitchell is a Scottish American former soccer defender and coach. He played ten seasons in the North American Soccer League from 1970 to 1979.

For the American football player, see Charlie Mitchell (American football).
Charlie Mitchell
Personal information
Date of birth (1948-05-18) 18 May 1948
Place of birth Paisley, Scotland
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
St Mirren F.C.
1970–1975 Rochester Lancers 121 (5)
1976 New York Cosmos 7 (0)
1977 Team Hawaii 23 (0)
1978 Tulsa Roughnecks 25 (0)
1979 Toronto Blizzard 30 (0)
Teams managed
1977 Team Hawaii
1980–1981 Tulsa Roughnecks
1996–2005 Northeastern State RiverHawks (men & women)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Mitchell played for St Mirren F.C. in his native Scotland.[1]

He joined the Rochester Lancers of the NASL in 1970. The Lancers won the NASL championship in 1970, and Mitchell was named an NASL all-star. He was an NASL second-team all-star in 1971 and 1975, and an honorable mention all-star in 1972 and 1974.[2]

In 1976 Mitchell moved to the New York Cosmos,[3] where he had an assist on a spectacular bicycle kick goal scored by his teammate Pelé in a game against the Miami Toros.[1]

In 1977 Mitchell played for Team Hawaii, where he became player-manager in mid-season.[4] Team Hawaii moved to Tulsa in 1978 and became the Tulsa Roughnecks; Mitchell was the only player Tulsa retained from the Hawaii roster.[5]

Mitchell played the 1979 season for the Toronto Blizzard,[3] and finished his NASL playing career with a total of 206 NASL regular-season games and nine NASL playoff games.[2]

Coaching career

After ending his playing career, Mitchell returned to Tulsa as manager of the Roughnecks.[4] The 1980 team finished with a 15-17 record and lost to the Cosmos in the first round of the playoffs. His 1981 team started with an 11-10 record, but in July 1981, Mitchell was replaced by his assistant Terry Hennessey. Sports Illustrated reported that this was due to team management's dissatisfaction with the Roughnecks' low-scoring offense.[6]

Later career

Mitchell remained a popular figure in Tulsa, as a participant in local youth soccer programs,[7] and as a sports bar-restaurant operator.[8] He coached the men's and women's soccer teams at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma for nine years[9] until his resignation in June 2005.[10]

References
  1. "Head Coach Charlie Mitchell" biography in 2004 Northeastern State University soccer press guide (retrieved May 2, 2009).
  2. Hall of Fame eligibility profile Archived 2016-01-23 at the Wayback Machine at National Soccer Hall of Fame official website (retrieved May 2, 2009)
  3. North American Soccer League player registry Archived 2009-03-02 at the Wayback Machine at National Soccer Hall of Fame official website (retrieved May 2, 2009).
  4. North American Soccer League coaches registry Archived 2010-07-11 at the Wayback Machine at National Soccer Hall of Fame official website (retrieved May 4, 2009).
  5. Randy Krehbiel, "Soccer team's success wasn't easy", Tulsa World, September 15, 2002.
  6. "A Roundup Of The Week June 29-July 5", Sports Illustrated, July 13, 1981.
  7. "Youth Soccer Provides Fun, Fitness, Opportunity" Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, Greater Tulsa Reporter (retrieved May 2, 2009).
  8. Jimmie Tramel, "Roughnecks a colorful, talented group", Tulsa World, June 26, 2006.
  9. Glen Hibdon, "College: NSU team might be best ever", Tulsa World, September 29, 2004.
  10. "Sports FYI", Tulsa World, June 10, 2005.
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