Ed McIlvenny

Edward "Ed" John McIlvenny (21 October 1924 in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland – May 18, 1989 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England) was a Scottish-American football (soccer) player who most notably captained the United States national team in their 1–0 upset of England in the 1950 World Cup.

He learned the game as a youth and was selected to Scottish Junior League on a tour of the North of Scotland. In 1947 he signed with the Welsh club Wrexham A.F.C., then in the Third Division North of the English Football League, but he only played seven games for them before moving to the U.S. in 1949 to stay with his sister.

McIlvenny excelled with the Philadelphia Nationals of the American Soccer League, where he teamed up with U.S. national team captain Walter Bahr, and was selected to join the national team during their 1950 World Cup appearance. He was given the honor of being captain for the game against England "because he was British." Although he was not a U.S. citizen, he had declared his intention of becoming one and thus was eligible to play, according to the rules of the United States Soccer Football Association at the time.

However, he never did gain citizenship. Earlier that same year, he had played in an All-Star game against Manchester United and his play attracted the attention of United manager Matt Busby, who offered him a spot on the team after the World Cup. Upon his return to England, the English press called him "The Yank from the Tail of the Bank" (a reference to the sand bank that finishes at Greenock). He only had two appearances for them, however, and transferred to Waterford United of the Football League of Ireland instead. He played for them for four years and then returned to England to play for Headington United, after which he retired from playing and ran a football school.

In the movie "The Game of Their Lives" that depicted the U.S. victory over England, McIlvenny (played by U.S. soccer player John Harkes) was given a much smaller role and the captainship was given to Walter Bahr instead. McIlvenny's widow, Sheila, was reported as saying: "It's disappointing, but what do you expect from Hollywood?... It is not the true story, not at all. I think he would have accepted it, but I don't think he would have been happy with it because it wasn't the truth."

He was enshrined in the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame, along with the other members of the 1950 World Cup team, in 1976.

External links

* [http://www.soccerhall.org/famers/edward_mcilveney.htm Ed McIlvenny in the National Soccer Hall of Fame]
*Jose, Colin, [http://www.soccerhall.org/ColinJose/The%20Real%20Story%20about%20the%201950%20U.S.%20World%20Cup%20Team.htm The Real Story About the 1950 U.S. World Cup Team]

Persondata
NAME=McIlvenny, Edward John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Professional football player
DATE OF BIRTH=October 21, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH=Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH=May 18, 1989
PLACE OF DEATH=Eastbourne, Sussex, England