| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ralf W. Wilhelms | ||
| Date of birth | 24 May 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Sinzig, West Germany | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | |||
| Bonner SC | |||
| 1987–1989 | San Diego Sockers (indoor) | 83 | (6) |
| 1993 | Arizona Sandsharks (indoor) | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1990–1991 | U.S. International University | ||
| 1993 | San Diego Sockers (assistant) | ||
| 1998 | San Diego Flash | ||
| 1998 | Kerület FC | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Ralf W. Wilhelms is a retired German association football defender who played professionally in Germany and the United States. He coached in the United States and Hungary and served in various executive positions with American soccer teams for over a decade. He is an associate professor at Lake Superior State University and a vice president of Let’s Play Sports.
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Wilhelm played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bonner SC. He moved to the United States to work on a graduate degree. While in the United States, he came to the attentiono of Ron Newman, coach of the San Diego Sockers. On 25 June 1987, the Sockers selected Wilhelms in the first round (seventh overall) of the Major Indoor Soccer League draft.[1] He spent two seasons on the Sockers’ backline. In 1993, he played for the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League.
After his release by the Sockers in 1989, Wilhelms entered the U.S. International University. On 31 July 1990, the school hired Wilhelms to coach its men’s soccer team.[2] On 3 March 1993, he became an assistant coach with the San Diego Sockers.[3] On 13 January 1998, he became the first head coach of the San Diego Flash.[4] He took the team to an 8–5 record before leaving the team to become manager of Kerület FC.[5] In January 2004, Wilhelms became the executive vice president of Sockers.[6]
In 1990, Willhelms received his Master of international Business and Administration from United States International University. In 2008, he earned his Doctor of Business Administration from the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management at Alliant International University. He is an associate professor at Lake Superior State University.[7]