- Ben Millers
Ben Millers was a U.S.
soccer club sponsored by the Ben W. Miller Hat Company ofSt. Louis, Missouri . [cite book | last = Wangerin | first = David | title = Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America’s Forgotten Game | format = Paperback | publisher = Temple University Press | year = 2008 | id = (ISBN 1-5921-3885-3) ] Founded in 1913, it entered theSt. Louis Soccer League two years later, winning seven league titles and oneNational Challenge Cup before its disbandment in 1935.History
In 1913, Ben Millers entered the Federal Park League in St. Louis, Missouri. The Federal Park League had been created that season after disagreements about permissible levels of professionalism had split the
St. Louis Soccer League . [ [http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/year/1913.html The Year in American Soccer - 1913] ] St. Leo's, the city’s only fully professional team joined with several other St. Louis teams, including Ben Millers, to form the Federal Park League. This league existed only two seasons as the differences dividing the previous SLSL teams were reconciled leading to the re-establishment of the SLSL in 1915. Ben Millers joined the reconstituted SLSL, immediately asserting its dominance by winning three consecutive league titles. While theNational Challenge Cup was established by theUnited States Football Association in 1914, the St. Louis teams did not enter it until 1918. In 1920, Ben Millers became the first team outside of the northeast to win the trophy. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9402E6DF103FE432A25753C1A9639C946195D6CF&oref=slogin Ben Millers of St. Louis Defeat Fore River For National Soccer Title] ] While they never repeated as champions, they made the final in 1926. The team continued strong into the late 1920s but began to fade with the new decade. After a posting a 0-10-4 record to finish last in the league, the Ben Millers withdrew from the SLSL.Team ownership
Peter Ratican owned Ben Millers in the early 1920s. Following his death in 1923, his widow owned the team for a time. [ [http://www.geocities.com/bethlehem_soccer/gl012223.html January 22, 1923 The Globe article] ]Record
Notable players
*
Eddie Croak
* Jimmy Dunn
*Walter Giesler
*Harry Ratican
*Peter Ratican
*Raphael Tracey
*Frank Vaughn References
External links
* [http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/slsl.html St. Louis Soccer League standings]
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