Can anyone help me figure out who Kyle Rote Jr is? A neighbor (who is not a soccer fan) asked me what i know about this guy. He says that he remembers him winning a "Battle of the Superstars". I don't know much. Who did he play for? how many caps? what position? thanks
Kyle Rote Junior was a striker, played for Dallas in the NASL. He was one of the few American field players who was a star in that League. I do not know how many caps he got, but he was undisputedly the best US player for most of the 70s. First "how too" soccer book I ever got was by Kyle Rote Jr.
Kyle Rote Jr. is the first big name soccer American Player from the NASL in the 1970s. He was the only american I knew when just a little kid going to Cosmos games... and no he didn't play for the Cosmos. Just a quick blurb from CNN- where are they now... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/galleries/2002/then_and_now/rote/ Played 7 years in NASL... 6 with Dallas. Apparently that year 1973 where he led the league in scoring was also his rookie year.
I used to order posters from Sports Illustrated back in the 80's - In my room I had Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Gretzy, George Gervin (The Ice Man), John Riggins. Anyway, I always remember that Kyle Rote Jr. was the only soccer player with a poster.
Not only did he have the fame of being the best American player of his generation, but his father was a huge football star at Southern Methodist so he was very famous in Dallas at a time when sports fame began and ended with the Cowboys. With guys like Pele and Beckenbauer around, Kyle remained my soccer idol growing up.
Far from it...a number of Americans in his era were much, much better than Rote: Pat McBride, Bobby Smith, at least three goalkeepers (Arnie Mausser, Shep Messing, and Bob Rigby). Rote himself was the first to admit this. Notably, McBride and Mausser are in the Hall of Fame. Rote has never been seriously considered for a spot. And this just covers the 1973-77 era: by 1978, far superior U.S. players like Ricky Davis, Jeff Durgan, Steve Moyers, Mark Pederson, Chris Bahr, and others made their names in the league. Rote lacked a lot of "ground" skills, but was exceptional in the air. With Dallas playing a very English style of play in 1973 (i.e., the ball never touched the ground), Rote managed 10 goals. Coupled with his 10 assists, he became the first (and only) American to ever lead the NASL in scoring (thanks to the assists; another American, NY Cosmos forward Joey Fink, had 11 goals.) A combination of a famous name, the fact that he led the league in scoring, and his success in the Superstars competition made Rote the face of U.S. soccer pre-Pele. Rote, for his part, deserves major props for the amount of time and effort he put into camp appearances and PR work on behalf of the game and the league. But his game--never great--suffered as a result.
I can remember seeing him a lot on TV wearing a tie saying, "I'm Kyle Rote Jr." but that is mostly it... He also talked about playing v/Pele. Was he on a commercial in the late 80's or something? Somehow I have always known who he is. I think it was a commercial because I can only remember him saying the same thing. Maybe it was for a soccer video?
He also did Absorbine Jr. commercials...I think that might have been my first recollection of an American soccer player. Sad, but true.
According to my records, Rote only played for the US four times. He earned his first cap in August of 73, coming on for Paul Child (the NASL star and later indoor coach) in a 1-0 win over Poland in Connecticut. A month later, also in Connecticut, he started in a 1-0 win over Bermuda. (Two straight wins for the US back then was a BIG deal.) His third cap came in October of 73 in a 2-0 loss to Mexico in Puebla and 11 months later he got another cap in his hometown of Dallas in a 1-0 loss to Mexico. (See, back then Mexico used to be good and they were able to beat us regularly.) All four of the games in which Rote played were friendlies and, despite playing forward, he didn't score in any of them. Why he didn't play more I have no idea. It wasn't for a lack of games as between the time of his first cap in August of 73 and the fall of 79 when he played his last season in the NASL, the US played 34 times. I know those SuperStars competitions, which really brought him as much fame as his soccer playing did, took up some of his time and were quite lucrative because of the exposure they brought him, but there weren't so many of those things that he couldn't still have time to play for the US. (Rote also got a lot of exposure because his dad and uncle had played big time college football and in the NFL.) It could be that he just wansn't good enough. I'm not saying it is, I just don't know. I do know that after scoring 10 goals and 10 assists as a rooke in 73, he only reached double figures in either once more, when he scored a career-best 11 in 77. Here are his career stats: YEAR TEAM REG. SEASON PLAYOFFS 1973 Dallas Tornado 18 10 10 30 2 1 0 2 1974 Dallas Tornado 18 7 2 16 2 0 1 1 1975 Dallas Tornado 21 5 6 16 - - - - 1976 Dallas Tornado 19 3 3 9 2 0 0 0 1977 Dallas Tornado 24 11 6 28 - - - - 1978 Dallas Tornado 21 6 7 19 - - - - 1979 Houston Hurricane 21 1 4 6 2 0 0 0 Among his teammates in Dallas were Ken Cooper, Sr., the father of the oft-discussed ManU forward, and Mike Renshaw, a poster here on BigSoccer. I'm guessing Mike could share some insights on Rote that none of the rest of us could.
Kyle Rote Jr. played college ball at The University of the South, (Sewanee, TN) Division III. Sewanee hosts an annual pre-season tourney in his honor. He played only 3 years after transfering in from Oklahoma State where he played football on scholarship for only one year. He set a career scoring record that stood until 1982. I believe that after his playing career he became a sports agent based in Memphis. It is my impression that he is a devout christian and he has enjoyed the opportunity to share his faith through his connection with sports. This is all from memory, an increasingly failing memory.
read the SI link poted earlier in this thread. There is a small blurb about Rote Jr, but also a link to an SI article from 1973 with lots of other information about how he came to be on the soccer path.
jpc, let me give you a jeopardy scenario. JPC-"Sports for $1000 Alec" Alec-"The original American bad-ass of the NASL, left countless defenses baffled and bewildered in his wake en route to league dominance." JPC-"Who is ...umm..Chuck Rote...doh!" Alec-"Sorry JPC.... nyrocco?" nyrocco-"Who is Kyle Rote Jr." I miss you jonny
Kyle Rote Jr Yes, I went to some Burn games as a kid and saw KRJ. And saw him in the Superstars. He was talked up to be such a great athlete, but honestly he really didn't look in that awesome shape to me--but very talented nonetheless. KRJ was a high school football star. He played defensive back at Oklahoma State, where he excelled. But he hurt himself and seemed to not like the big-time sports environment or something. Went to play soccer at Sewanee, of all places. A good article here written back in '73.--tells me some stuff I knew but some novel stuff as well. Not just about KRJ but about the league. For instance, there were 19,000 fans at one game, but 12,000 were junior players http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/cover/2002/then_now/flashbacks/rote_080673/ Says he was captain of the hated Highland Park Snots (misspelling intentional) in 3 sports (star QB), and went to OSU on a football scholarship. My favorite quote was a prophetic one not made by KRJ: "It is not a good situation," says David Sadler, a world-class player who is on loan to Miami from England's Manchester United. "It's no good just bringing in chaps like me. To make this thing succeed, you've got to have Americans that fans and future players can identify with." Hear, hear.
Not quite, Steve. There was another American who led the NASL in scoring several times. Giorgio Chinaglia became an American citizen on August 25, 1978. The 1978 season ended on August 27th, so it could be said that an American also led the league in scoring in 1978. In 1979, Chinaglia had more goals (26) than anyone else, but not as many "points" (Oscar Fabbiani had more). Chinaglia also led the league in scoring in 1980, 1981, and 1982.
I think he means "American born and bred" and not someone who learned his soccer in a country where soccer is king or atleast among the favorite sports. Granted, it was an interesting tidbit about GC - I was present at his NASL and Cosmos debut at Yankee Stadium way back when. So he was one of my favorites. Ah ha! Even if Chinaglia was naturalized, did his goals scored BEFORE 8/25/78 count as he was not an American when he scored them?! Food for thought.
Re: Kyle Rote Jr You mean the Tornado, not the Burn - don't you? I wonder what Sadler is up to nowadays and if he has ever seen an MLS game. I'd like to hear what he thinks nowadays.
Didn't Kyle Rote Jr play the german forward in that movie (I can't remember the name) with Pele and Sly.
Cute. However, no one considered Chinaglia to be an American. Indeed, not even the Cosmos...they never counted him as American vis a vis the American "quota" of players required to be on the field throughout the 1970s and 80s. Of course I meant American-born when I mentioned Rote was the only American to lead the NASL in scoring.