Johnny Rollo

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Johnny Rollo
Personal information
Date of birth
Place of birth    Glasgow, Scotland
Place of death    Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States
Playing position Inside Forward
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1922-1923
1923-1924
1924-1930
1930-1931
1931
Rangers
St. Johnstone
Bethlehem Steel
Newark Americans
New York Americans
000 0(0)

129 (24)
026 0(4)
009 0(1)   
Teams managed
Portugal Club

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Johnny Rollo (born in Glasgow, Scotland; died Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) was a Scottish soccer player who typically played as a inside forward, but also as both a half back and full back. He began his career with Glasgow Rangers, but had his greatest success in the American Soccer League. He later coached at the amateur level.

Contents

[edit] Player

In 1922, Rollo signed with Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Football League, playing five reserve matches, but no first team games. In 1923, he moved to St. Johnstone. In September 1924, Rollo left Britain, arriving in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on September 16, 1924 where he signed with Bethlehem Steel F.C. of the American Soccer League. When he joined Bethlehem, the team was disappointed with his form, but by February 1925, he had developed into a regular starter with the team.[1] In 1928, the ASL expelled Bethlehem when the club defied the league’s boycott of the 1929 National Challenge Cup. Bethlehem then joined the Eastern Soccer League. In the process, the United States Football Association declared the ASL an “outlaw league”. In 1929, the ASL came in compliance with the USFA and the ESL merged into the ASL. Rollo remained with Bethlehem Steel until it folded in 1930. He then moved to the Newark Americans, but by that time, the American Soccer League was collapsing from the financial losses caused by the 1928-1929 Soccer War and the onset of the Great Depression. The Americans folded in 1931 and Rollo moved to the New York Americans. [2]

[edit] Coach

After his playing career, Rollo settled permanently in Bethlehem where he coached the amateur Portugal Club to the 1933-1934 Lehigh Valley Amateur Soccer League title, known as the Wilbur Cup.[3]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ February 2, 1925 The Globe
  2. ^ Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921-1931 (Hardback), The Scarecrow Press. (ISBN 0-8108-3429-4). 
  3. ^ Photo of Rollo’s Wilbur Cup medal