- Rick Blubaugh
Infobox Football biography
playername= flagicon|United States of America Rick Blubaugh
fullname = Rick Brian Blubaugh
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1964|12|28
cityofbirth =Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
countryofbirth =United States
height = height|ft=5|in=10
position = Defender /Midfielder
youthyears = 1984
1985-1987
youthclubs =San Diego State University
University of Washington
years = 1984
1986-1989
1988-1989
1995
clubs =F.C. Seattle F.C. Seattle Storm Tacoma Stars "(indoor)"Seattle SeaDogs "(indoor)"
caps(goals) =
pcupdate =
ntupdate =Rick Brian Blubaugh (born
December 28 ,1964 , inFort Leonard Wood, Missouri ) is an American former professional soccer player. He spent four seasons in theWestern Soccer Alliance , one in the Major Indoor Soccer League and one in theContinental Indoor Soccer League .Youth
Blubaugh's roots are traced to
Lynnwood, Washington , son of Joe and Selva Blubaugh. In 1981 and 1982, he was a starting defender for the boys U-17 ½ and U-18 ½Washington state select soccer team. In 1981, Blubaugh, along withWashington teammates Geoff Wall andChance Fry , was tapped to represent the West regional soccer team in a national tournament held at theUnited States Olympic Training Center inColorado Springs, Colorado . The West region team, which comprised future stars Ralph Black,Dale Ervine andPaul Caligiuri , reigned supreme winning the event by vanquishing the East, South and Midwest regions. Upon conclusion of the tournament, Blubaugh was selected as an alternate for the United States Youth National Team.High School
Blubaugh attended
Meadowdale High School inLynnwood, Washington (1981-1983) where he started three consecutive years as amidfielder for the erstwhile named Chiefs. In 1982 and 1983, he served as Meadowdale’s team captain and garnered first team All Western Conference (WesCo) soccer honors.College
Blubaugh was a freshman starting defender anchoring a talent-laden and nationally ranked
San Diego State University Aztecs men’s soccer team, coached by Chuck Clegg (1984-1985). He returned toSeattle, Washington the following year and capped off his collegiate career as a three year starting defender for the nationally rankedUniversity of Washington Huskies men’s soccer team, coached by Ron Carter (1985-1987). During his tenure at Washington, he was named to the All Northwest Collegiate Conference Team in 1986 (2nd team) and in 1987 (1st team). In his sophomore and senior seasons, he was instrumental in leading the Huskies to two Northwest Collegiate Soccer Conference titles (1985,1987). In 1988, Blubaugh graduated from theUniversity of Washington earning aBachelor of Arts degree inPsychology .F.C. Seattle
In the summer of 1984, as a 19-year-old, Blubaugh assumed duties as a defender for Football Club Seattle which hosted the F.C. Seattle Challenge. This series featured
F.C. Seattle squaring off against threeNorth American Soccer League (NASL ) powerhouse teams (Vancouver Whitecaps,Minnesota Strikers ,New York Cosmos ) as well as the men’s United States Olympic Team. F.C. Seattle’s roster boasted select high school, college and professional players. The team was coached by former Seattle Sounders luminariesJimmy Gabriel ,Tommy Jenkins ,Pepe Fernandez and Jack Brand and played its games in Seattle’s Memorial Stadium. These four contests had a favorable following with the average attendance eclipsing the 6,000 barrier. Also, Blubaugh challenged, guided and encouraged the development of young minds through soccer with formerF.C. Seattle Storm teammates Peter Fewing, John Hamel, Craig Beeson,Eddie Henderson and Jeff Koch spanning the state ofWashington at Peter Fewing Soccer Camps (1985-1996).Western Soccer Alliance
Blubaugh was a starting defender for the
F.C. Seattle Storm (1986-1989), again with former Seattle SounderTommy Jenkins at the helm, of the newly mintedWestern Soccer Alliance . The Storm enjoyed a successful campaign overseas in the 1987 "Great Britain Tour", locking horns with elite English clubsMiddlesbrough F.C. ,A.F.C. Bournemouth ,Portsmouth F.C. andQueen's Park Rangers F.C. , not to mention perennial Scottish power,Dundee F.C. . 1988 witnessed the Storm secure the top spot in theWestern Soccer Alliance regular season standings and, at once, march their way through the playoffs summarily disposing of a skilledSan Jose Earthquakes team in the final 5-0, deservedly crowning themWestern Soccer Alliance Champions.MISL and CISL
The
Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) selected Blubaugh in the fourth round of the 1988MISL draft. He signed with the Stars, coached by formerSeattle Sounders iconsAlan Hinton and Steve Buttle, and played defender the 1988-1989 season. In 1995, theSeattle SeaDogs of theContinental Indoor Soccer League (CISL), signed Blubaugh to play defender for their inaugural season. The SeaDogs were coached by formerMISL greatFernando Clavijo and Blubaugh’s formerTacoma Stars teammateBrian Schmetzer .In the wake of a fruitful career, Blubaugh retired from professional soccer in 1996.
External links
* [http://www.goalseattle.com/museum/FCSeattleStorm.htm F.C. Seattle Storm]
* [http://www.goalseattle.com/museum/FCupdates/1988/1988_champions_seattle_storm_fc.htm F.C. Seattle Storm]
* [http://www.goalseattle.com/1988-89TStarsTeam.htm Tacoma Stars]
* [http://www.goalseattle.com/museum/StarsCards/1989TacomaStarsCards.htm Tacoma Stars]
* [http://www.soundercentral.com/museum/SeaDogs.htm Seattle SeaDogs]
* [http://www.peterfewingsoccercamp.com Peter Fewing Soccer Camps]
* [http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/wash/sports/m-soccer/auto_pdf/04MSOCpart2.pdf University of Washington Men's Soccer]
* [http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/sdsu/sports/m-soccer/auto_pdf/07-mg-history.pdf San Diego State University Men's Soccer]
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