Former goalkeeper JVB has died at the age of 64 He played the 80, 81, 82 and 83 seasons for Fort Lauderdale and later on 2 more seasons for the Dallas Sidekicks
Very sad. He was tending goal the night George Best scored his most famous goal.....Can't believe 30 years have passed this July 22nd... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2HWUbFGHMU"]YouTube - George Best...best Goal Ever‏[/ame]
And in those four seasons he was chosen to the NASL All-Star first team twice (1981 and 1983), second team once (1982) and honorable mention once (1980). I realize he meant a lot more to PSV supporters, but to us old Striker Likers he was pretty special too. I wonder if anyone at the current incarnation of the Strikers has thought of putting together a Strikers Hall of Fame. There are plenty of good candidates from the NASL and ASL/APSL years.
You said it Titanole. At the very least I'd hope the organization makes mention of him Wednesday night, maybe with a moment of silence. A true Strikers legend for sure!
If they haven't thought of it they should. Seems like a no-brainer to me. I think all the teams currently playing should have some sort of recognition of their predecessors, i.e. San Jose, Tampa, Minnesota, Rochester, Dallas, Houston, etc. There's a lot of lost history out there that needs to be promoted. It doesn't matter what league a team is in now, or what league their forefathers were in, we all need to remember the players, coaches and teams that came before, the pioneers who laid the groundwork for what we have today. My 2 cents.
Precedent can be found at Citizens Bank Park. They have a Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame that includes players from both the Phillies and the long since gone Athletics. Sure a lot of it probably has to do with the miserable history of the Phillies that they include the A's, but the sentiment remains valid.
Yes, they should do this. There should be plenty of fans from both Fort Lauderdale and Tampa who remember JVB. It wouldn't be a major gaffe not to do so, but it would be a goodwill opportunity missed by a club that has otherwise done a good job to embrace the legacy of their predecessors.
There is a short article posted on strikers.com regarding JVB's passing. Hopefully this is an indication that he will be recognized wednesday night at the game. It would be well deserved, and a serious shame if there is no recognition.
What kind of an effort (if any) has the FO done to reach out to the old Strikers stars from the past? For example, have they had someone like Ray Hudson kick a ceremonial ball prior to kick off? Or Cubillas? (Is he still in the area? I know his sons played a little in college for George Tarantini @ NC State.)
When I grew up playing goalie in West Kendall in the early 80's, Jan Van Beveran was the person who I sought to imitate. Going to see those Striker teams as a kid is what made me love soccer. RIP Jan.
Here is the article from strikers.com: http://www.strikers.com/index.php?id=31&newsid=750 and here is an article from the Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/other/fl-strikers-van-beveren-0628-20110627,0,3730910.story For some reason, neither states cause of death. If anyone knows, please post. BTW - is it ironic that the same week an iconic Strikers goalie passes, current Strikers goalie (and hopefully thought of along with Banks and JVB as the latest iconic goalie) Matt Glaser is named NASL Defensive Player of the Week?
Thomas Rongen has been at a few games, Cubillas as well. Hudson came out in 2009 for the first pro match back at Lockhart(still under the Miami FC name though). They had a big alumni dinner back in the fall to get the blessing of the past Strikers for this new incarnation. Branko Segota, Arnie Mausser, and Nico Bodonczy among others were at numerous events the team has held over the offseason. As for a JVB tribute at Wednesday's match, I think I'm going to make a sign and try to organize the supporters section for a minute of silence in his honor(the first minute in honor of his number 1). Hopefully the team does something as well.
Thanks & Reps! Found this on Facebook an article from Jeff Rusnak.... http://rusnaksoccer.blogspot.com/
My Grandfather watched Connie Mack and the boys as a youth, and passed the history to my dad-and ultimately......to me. The wall is in memory of the baseball greats of the City of Philadelphia, no matter what era they played in. Yes, I'd love to see the Strikers "begin at the beginning" and would nominate Jan and Colin Fowles as charter members.........
What an awesome article! Brought back many memories - thanks for posting!! If the FO is reaching out to any of the former players, they should include this article...how can any of them refuse a request to show at a game after reading that???
I remember when Colin Fowles raced a quarterhorse over 80 yards and won.. I also remember when he died. How sad....
My cousin up in Philadelphia and I are both Phillies fans but my grandmother (his aunt) always called them bums. She was an Athletics fan in her day and would never follow the Phils even after the A's left town. I like how they honor the old Athletics players, especially since they were the more successful club. At least they had good stretches and won some pennants. The Phillies sucked almost all the time.
Wanted to take a moment here to acknowledge the South Florida United supporters at the game last night. That was a real class move with the JVB banner in the first minute. I know a lot of you guys in the supporters groups are younger, and weren't even around for the Strikers 1.0 days. But it does this old Strikers fan's heart good to see you fully embrace this renewal of the team and the foundation that it was built on years ago. I firmly believe that bridging that gap the way you guys are with things like this is the key to connecting the glory of the past with the present, and that that will be what can be the foundation for continued growth into the future. All we need is to fill Lockhart on a regular basis, with Striker Likers old and new, and good things will happen for this franchise. Keep it up SFU, keep it up. BTW, you know I gotta ask about the smoke bomb.....LOL I guessing that wasn't approved by Mr. Robbie and the FO. LOL You guys should have at least gotten one that was Red & Yellow, not yellow & blue! LOL