Tibor Molnar (footballer, born 1952)

Tibor Molnar (born June 6, 1952) is a Hungarian former footballer who played as a midfielder in the North American Soccer League, the Canadian National Soccer League, and the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Tibor Molnar
Personal information
Date of birth (1952-06-06) 6 June 1952
Place of birth Budapest, Hungary
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1967–1969 Vasas SC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971 Dallas Tornado (indoor) 2 (0)
1971 Dallas Tornado 2 (0)
1973–1974 Toronto Hungaria
1974–1975 Toronto Italia (17)
1976 Rochester Lancers (indoor) 4 (3)
1976 Rochester Lancers 4 (0)
1976–1977 San Jose Earthquakes 32 (0)
1978 Tulsa Roughnecks (indoor) 4 (4)
1978 Montreal Castors
1978–1981 New York Arrows (indoor) 74 (33)
1980–1981 Hartford Hellions (indoor) 21 (5)
1981 Baltimore Blast (indoor) 3 (0)
1982–1983 Pittsburgh Spirit (indoor) 27 (6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Born in Budapest, he grew up in the same neighborhood as indoor soccer hall-of-famer, Juli Veee.[1] Like many, he disliked how the totalitarian, communist government controlled nearly every aspect of a Hungarian's life, and dreamed of life in a free society like the U.S.[2] By his own accounts, he and a friend were always trying to sneak away to the west, posing as tourists, but were regularly stopped at the border. Rather than place him in jail and put him on trial, as would likely happen to adults at that time, the boarder guards would merely put him and his friend on a bus back home.[3]

Career

He played for second division side Vasas SC at age 15 and quit school because of soccer. Two years later in 1970 he sneaked out of the country, presumably as a tourist visiting Vienna on his 18th birthday. He trained with FK Austria Wien, and friends arranged for him to travel to the U.S.[2][3] In 1971 Molnar joined the Dallas Tornado of NASL and scored his only NASL goal in Game 1 of the NASL Championship Final.[4] After the 1971 season Molnar returned first to Austria, and then attempted to play for Beerschot A.C., a Belgian side from Antwerp, but instead was forced to serve a two-year European suspension for playing outside Hungary without permission.[2] In 1973 and 1974 he played in the National Soccer League to play with Toronto Hungaria.[5][6] The second portion of the 1974 NSL season he played with Toronto Italia.[7]

In 1976, he returned to the NASL to play with the Rochester Lancers.[2] Primarily a playmaker, he became unhappy with the defense-first role that Lancers coach Don Popovic wanted him to play. After playing in only four of the first seven matches of the season, he requested a trade.[1] The team obliged, and on June 8, 1976 he was transferred for cash to the San Jose Earthquakes,[8] where he played two seasons before being dealt to the Tulsa Roughnecks in exchange for Victor Kodelja.[9] Later in 1978 he returned to the National Soccer League to play with Montreal Castors.[10]

Indoor career

Molnar played indoor soccer in both the NASL and MISL. He was a member of the 1971 indoor tournament champion Dallas Tornado, recording one assist in 2 games. In the 1976 tournament he was a runner-up with Rochester scoring three goals in four games. In the winter of 1978, Molnar returned to the indoor scene to play with Tulsa Roughnecks.[11] He was named co-MVP of the Skelly Invitational, won by Tulsa.[12][13]

When the MISL began play in 1978 he joined Coach Popovic’s New York Arrows,[14] winning titles in 1978–79 and 1979–80. From there he had injury-plagued stops with the Hartford Hellions,[15][16] Baltimore Blast[17] and Pittsburgh Spirit[3][18] before retiring.

Honors
Individual honors

References
  1. "Molnar to rescue 'Quakes". Newspapers.com. The Argus. June 9, 1976. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  2. Lewis, Mike (February 16, 1976). "New Lancer use to unusual". Newspapers.com. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. p. 38. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  3. Eberson, Sharon (September 22, 1981). "Hungarian defector Molnar is expected to boost Spirit". Newspapers.com. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 26. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  4. "Chiefs Get Big 2-1 Win". Newspapers.com. The Atlanta Constitution. September 13, 1971. p. 47. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  5. "First Portuguese shut out Serbians". Toronto Star. August 27, 1973. p. B1.
  6. Krivel, Peter (June 12, 1974). "Yugoslav Cup player highlights NSL win". Toronto Star. p. D5.
  7. "Portuguese show power". The Globe and Mail. August 12, 1974. p. S7.
  8. Lewis, Michael (June 9, 1976). "Earthquakes buy Lancers' Molnar". Newspapers.com. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. p. 4-D. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  9. "Kodelja traded to Earthquakes". Newspapers.com. San Francisco Examiner. January 21, 1978. p. 33. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  10. Hall, Dave (July 20, 1978). "Stars drop heartbreaking 3-2 to Castors". Newspapers.com. The Windsor Star. p. 48. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  11. "Rowdies win as Smethurst scores 5 goals". Newspapers.com. The Tampa Tribune. February 15, 1978. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  12. Lobaugh, Tom (March 5, 1978). "Roughnecks Ramble Into Tourney Finals". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  13. Lobaugh, Tom (March 6, 1978). "Tulsa Kicks Up A Victory". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  14. "Spirit Feels Slings of Arrows, 6-3". Newspapers.com. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 29, 1978. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  15. "Hellions sign six". Newspapers.com. The Berkshire Eagle. June 26, 1980. p. 24. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  16. Trecker, Jerry (November 2, 1980). "The Hellions". Newspapers.com. Hartford Courant. p. 98. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  17. "Hellions trade Molnar for forward Morielli". Newspapers.com. Record-Journal (Meriden, CT). February 11, 1981. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  18. Kienzl, Ray (December 16, 1981). "Molnar Says Spirit Capable Of Stopping Tough Arrows". Newspapers.com. The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  19. "Hellions Player Profile". Newspapers.com. The Hartford Courant. November 19, 1980. p. D3. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
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