Robert Ukrop

Infobox Football biography
playername= Rob Ukrop
fullname = Robert Ukrop
nickname =


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1970|4|5
cityofbirth = Richmond, Virginia
countryofbirth = United States
height = height|ft=6|in=2
currentclub = Retired
clubnumber = 16
position = Forward
youthyears = 1988-1990, 1992
youthclubs = Davidson
years = 1993
1993-1994
1994
1994
1994-1995
1995
1996
1996-1997
1996-2004
clubs = Richmond Kickers
Baltimore Spirit
Raleigh Flyers
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (APSL)
Dayton Dynamo
Richmond Kickers
New England Revolution
Cincinnati Silverbacks
Richmond Kickers
caps(goals) = 07 0(X)
15 (10)
9 0(2)
nationalyears =1993
nationalteam = U.S. U-23 national
nationalcaps(goals) =
manageryears =
managerclubs =
pcupdate = 31 May 2006
ntupdate = 22 June 2006

Robert Ukrop [ [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm New England Revolution bio] ] (born April 5, 1970 in Richmond, Virginia) [ [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm ibid] ] is a retired U.S. soccer forward. [ [http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/88351.html USL article] ]

Ukrop, heir to the Ukrop's Super Market chain, [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm 1994 Newspaper article] ] grew up in Richmond where he attended Collegiate School where he starred with both the school’s golf and soccer teams. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm ibid] ] When Ukrop graduated from high school in 1988, he had partial athletic scholarship offers from Wake Forest and the University of Richmond. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm ibid] ] However, he chose to attend Davidson College with no tuition assistance. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm ibid] ] At the time, Davidson had no soccer pedigree, but Ukrop brought it into national prominence during his four seasons there. His junior year, Ukrop scored 22 goals and assisted on 12, earning him second team All American honors. [ [http://www.nscaa.com/awards-src.php NCAA All Americans-searchable by name] ] However, he broke his leg at the start of the 1991 season. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm 1994 Newspaper article] ] As a result, he was a medical redshirt that year, but came back strong in 1992. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm ibid] ] In 1992, his last season at Davidson, Ukrop led the nation in scoring, bagging 31 goals and assisting on 10 others. [ [http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x15113.xml Davidson Hall of Fame] ] He also led Davidson to the NCAA Final Four only to fall to San Diego 3-2 in overtime in the semifinals. That year, Ukrop was named a first team All American and the ISAA Player of the Year. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm 1994 Newpaper article] ] He finished his four years at Davidson with the school record in career goals (76), points (184) and assists. [ [http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x15113.xml Davidson Hall of Fame] ] His points total is almost double the next player on the points list. [ [http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x15113.xml ibid] ]

While still at Davidson, Ukrop played with the U.S. national B Team. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm 1994 Newspaper article] ] After graduating from Davidson in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in classical studies, [ [http://www.happydork.com/Team/aboutrob.html This is the only reference to Ukrop's personal web site.] ] Ukrop went to the World University Games with the U.S. U-23 national team. [ [http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/88351.html USL article] ] He scored two goals and added an assist in the U.S. victory over Italy. That summer he also joined the Richmond Kickers of the USISL. [ [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm New England Revolution bio] ] The USISL had begun as a small indoor league in the Southwest U.S., but gradually expanded outdoor as well. In 1993, the Kickers joined the league, making the playoffs as a wild card team. They defeated the Charleston Battery, then lost to the eventual USISL champion Greensboro Dynamo.

Ukrop spent the 1993-1994 indoor season with the Baltimore Spirit of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm 1994 Newspaper Article] ] That year, he lost a significant amount of games when he took an elbow to his face, resulting in a broken jaw. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm ibid] ]

Ukrop then moved to the Raleigh Flyers (USISL) for the 1994 outdoor season, [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940705/07050173.htm ibid] ] before moving to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). [ [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm New England Revolution bio] ] He then spent the 1994-1995 indoor season with the Dayton Dynamo of the NPSL. [ [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm ibid] ] The Dynamo moved to Cincinnati and renamed itself the Silverbacks in 1995. In 1996, Ukrop rejoined the team for the 1996-1997 season. [ [http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/88351.html USL article] ]

In 1995, he was with the Richmond Kickers when that team won the USISL title. [ [http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/88351.html ibid] ] Ukrop was a USISL Atlantic Division All Star. [ [http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/88351.html ibid] ] The Kickers also took the 1995 U.S. Open Cup with Ukrop being named the championship game MVP. [ [http://www.usopencup.com/8494/1995/index_E.html U.S. Open cup list] ]

In January 1996, the New England Revolution drafted Ukrop in the seventh round (65th overall) of the 1996 MLS Draft. [ [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm New England Revolution bio] ] However, he never became a regular contributor for the Revs, managing only nine games and two goals, both goals coming in the Revolution’s first game of the season. [ [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm ibid] ] The Revs released Ukrop on June 28, 1996 [ [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm ibid] ] and returned to the Richmond Kickers for the remainder of the season. [ [http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/88351.html USL article] ] Ukrop continued to play each season with the Kickers until he announced his retirement on December 9, 2004. [ [http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/88351.html ibid] ] Ukrop retired holding the club records for career goals (70), career assists (30), career points (170) and matches (231). [ [http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/88351.html ibid] ]

On January 24, 2004, Davidson retired Ukrop’s jersey number (#6) and inducted him into its Hall of Fame. [ [http://www2.davidson.edu/athletics/daf/fame_induct2003-2004.asp Davidson Hall of Fame] ]

Footnotes

External links

* [http://library.davidson.edu/archives/ency/soccer.asp Davidson info]
* [http://www.nhsoccer.com/rev/roster/ukrop.htm New England Revolution Bio]
* [http://www.happydork.com/Team/aboutrob.html Ukrop personal bio]