- James Gentle
Infobox Football biography
playername= James Gentle
fullname = James Cuthbert Gentle
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|1904|7|21
cityofbirth =Brookline, Massachusetts
countryofbirth =United States
dateofdeath = death date and age|1986|5|22|1904|7|21
cityofdeath =Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
countryofdeath =United States
height =
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Inside Forward
youthyears = 1923-1926
youthclubs =University of Pennsylvania
years = 1925-1926
1926-
clubs =Boston Wonder Workers Philadelphia Field Club
caps(goals) = 1 (0)
nationalyears = 1934
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 01 0(0)
manageryears = 1935-1940
managerclubs =Haverford College
pcupdate =
ntupdate =James Cuthbert Gentle (
July 21 ,1904 –May 22 ,1986 ) was an American soccer striker,field hockey player,soldier , and golfer. He is a member of theNational Soccer Hall of Fame .Youth
Born just outside of
Boston inBrookline, Massachusetts , Gentle grew up in his hometown, attendedBrookline High School . In 1922, he entered theUniversity of Pennsylvania where he played football as a freshman. He switched to soccer and track for his next three years at Penn, earning first team All American honors for soccer in 1924 and 1925. [ [http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/soccer/soccer_records_book/2000/mens_award_winners.pdf NCAA Record Book] ] Gentle graduated from the university'sWharton School with abachelor's degree in economics in 1926. Active in student government, Gentle was his class president and a member of theMask and Wig andVarsity Club .occer
Player
During his time at Penn, Gentle played one game, as an amateur, with the professional
Boston Wonder Workers of theAmerican Soccer League . Following his graduation, Gentle signed with thePhiladelphia Field Club . In 1930, Gentle was called into the U.S. national team for the 1930 World Cup. Besides his duties as a striker, Gentle also acted as an interpreter for the American team and officials as he was the only person fluent in Spanish.Coach
In 1935,
Haverford College hired Gentle to coach its men's soccer team. Over six seasons, Gentle took Haverford to a 39-26-3 record and twoMid-American Conference titles. [ [http://165.82.1.36/athletics/soccerm/stats.php Haverford College coaches list] ]In 1986, Gentle was inducted into the
National Soccer Hall of Fame .Army
Gentle joined the Army Reserves in 1931. When the U.S. entered
World War II Gentle was assigned to the 36th Infantry regiment. His unit was deployed to the European Theater where it fought atSalerno , the mountains behindMonte Cassino . Another battle was fought at theRapido River inItaly . Finally he joinedGeneral Patton 's forces as they moved acrossEurope and into theRhineland . At the end of the war, Gentle, now a major, was named U.S. trade and industry officer for the American zone of Germany. He retired from the Army in 1956 in the rank ofcolonel .Other sports
Gentle was a member of the US field hockey team which earned a
bronze medal during Olympic Games of 1932 inLos Angeles .Later in life, Gentle became interested in
golf and became a member of the International Team of the American Senior Golf Association. He died in 1986 inPhiladelphia .Insurance industry
In 1931, in addition to joining Army Reserves, Gentle as began working at Mutual Life Insurance Company. In addition to his military duties and athletic interests, Gentle continued to work full time in the insurance industry
References
External links
* [http://www.soccerhall.org/famers/james_gentle.htm Profile at the National Soccer Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/people/1900s/gentle_jas_cuthbert.html University of Pennsylvania profile]
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