Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Robert Stephen Ukrop Jr. | ||
Date of birth | April 5, 1970 | ||
Place of birth | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Richmond Kickers (chairman) | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1988–1992 | Davidson Wildcats | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1993 | Richmond Kickers | 7 | |
1993–1994 | Baltimore Spirit (indoor) | 29 | (13) |
1994 | Raleigh Flyers | 15 | (10) |
1994 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | ||
1994–1995 | Dayton Dynamo (indoor) | 31 | (33) |
1995 | Richmond Kickers | ||
1996 | New England Revolution | 9 | (2) |
1996–1997 | Cincinnati Silverbacks (indoor) | 5 | (3) |
1996–2004 | Richmond Kickers | ||
International career | |||
1993 | United States U23 | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Robert Stephen Ukrop Jr. (born April 5, 1970) is an American former soccer player who is chairman of USL League One club Richmond Kickers. [1]
Ukrop, part of the Ukrop's Super Market family, [2] grew up in Richmond where he attended Collegiate School where he starred with both the school's golf and soccer teams. [3] When Ukrop graduated from high school in 1988, he had roster offers from Wake Forest and the University of Richmond. [3] However, he chose to attend Davidson College. He was a member of the Sigma chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order. At the time, Davidson had no soccer pedigree, but Ukrop brought it into national prominence during his four and a half seasons there. His junior year, Ukrop scored 22 goals and assisted on 12, earning him second team All American honors. [4] However, he broke his leg at the start of the 1991 season. [2] As a result, he was a medical redshirt that year, but came back strong in 1992. [3] In 1992, his last season at Davidson, Ukrop led the nation in scoring, bagging 31 goals and assisting on 10 others. [5] 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. [2] He finished his four years at Davidson with the school record in career goals (76), points (184) and assists. [5] His points total is almost double the next player on the points list. [6]
While still at Davidson, Ukrop played with the U.S. national B Team. [2] After graduating from Davidson in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in classical studies, Ukrop went to the World University Games with the U.S. U-23 national team. [1] 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. 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). [7] That year, he lost a significant number of games when he took an elbow to his face, resulting in a broken jaw. [3]
Ukrop then moved to the Raleigh Flyers (USISL) for the 1994 outdoor season, [3] before moving to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). He then spent the 1994–95 indoor season with the Dayton Dynamo of the NPSL. The Dynamo moved to Cincinnati and renamed itself the Silverbacks in 1995. In 1996, Ukrop rejoined the team for the 1996–1997 season. [1]
In 1995, he was with the Richmond Kickers when that team won the USISL title. [8] Ukrop was a USISL Atlantic Division All Star. [8] The Kickers also took the 1995 U.S. Open Cup with Ukrop being named the championship game MVP. [9]
In January 1996, the New England Revolution drafted Ukrop in the seventh round (65th overall) of the 1996 MLS Draft. He scored the Revolution's first goal (and second goal, recording the team's first brace) in team history on April 13, 1996 against the Tampa Bay Mutiny. [10] However, he never became a regular contributor for the Revs, managing only nine games and the aformentioned two goals, both goals coming in the Revolution's first game of the season. The Revs released Ukrop on June 28, 1996, and he returned to the Richmond Kickers for the remainder of the season. [1] Ukrop continued to play each season with the Kickers until he announced his retirement on December 9, 2004. [8] Ukrop retired holding the club records for career goals (70), career assists (30), career points (170) and matches (231). [8]
On January 24, 2004, Davidson retired Ukrop's jersey number (#6) and inducted him into its Hall of Fame. [11] On April 30, 2017, Ukrop was inducted into Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2019, 22 Holdings, LLC, an organization consisting of former Davidson College soccer players and led by Ukrop, acquired a controlling interest in the Richmond Kickers. [12] Ukrop is currently the Chairman and CEO.
Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional Soccer League expansion team, which at the time, was the fourth tier of soccer in the United States.
Richard "Richie" Williams is an American soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach of MLS Next Pro side New England Revolution II.
Yari Allnutt is an American retired soccer player who played professionally in Mexico and the United States, including the American Professional Soccer League and Major League Soccer. He earned five caps with the United States national team, including games at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Nikola Vignjević is a former Serbian football player, who currently works as Technical coach by Alberta Golden Bears and the Greater St.Albert Sports Academy. While playing for the Lynx, he was commonly referred to as Niki and Nikki.
The 1995 USISL Premier League season was the 1st season of the new "fourth level" of American soccer following the re-organization of the old United States Interregional Soccer League at the end of 1994. The season began in April 1995 and ended in August 1995.
Joey Kirk is a former U.S. soccer forward who spent most of his career playing indoor soccer. He earned seven caps with the U.S. national team in 1987 and 1988.
Joao Joaquim DeBrito Jr., known as John DeBrito, was a soccer player who played as a defender and midfielder. He was an All American at Southern Connecticut State University, spent at least one season playing indoor soccer, then played eight seasons outdoor, including six seasons in Major League Soccer. Born in Portuguese Cape Verde, he earned six caps with the United States national team from 1991 to 1992.
Bojan "Bo" Vučković is a Serbian footballer, who owned and played for the now defunct Vermont Voltage in the USL Premier Development League.
Doug Miller is an American youth soccer coach and retired soccer player. He spent one season in Major Indoor Soccer League and nine in the National Professional Soccer League as a forward, winning two championships and leading the league in scoring in 1998–99. Miller also played ten seasons of outdoor soccer in the USISL and A-League. He was the 1996 and 1997 USISL A-League leading scorer and 1997 league MVP. He also won one U.S. Open Cup.
Scott Cannon is an American former soccer player who played three seasons in Major League Soccer, two in the American Professional Soccer League, three in the National Professional Soccer League and at least four in the USISL and USL. He was the 1999 USL Defender of the Year and a two time USL All Star.
Charles "Chugger" Adair is a retired American soccer player and current soccer coach. He spent two seasons in the Continental Indoor Soccer League, two in the National Professional Soccer League and seven in the USISL A-League / USL First Division.
Jimmy Glenn is a retired American soccer forward who played two seasons in Major League Soccer as well as in the National Professional Soccer League, USISL and USL A-League.
Brian Loftin is a retired American soccer forward and was the commissioner of the Xtreme Soccer League. He played one season in Major League Soccer with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, as well as several seasons in the USISL. However, his greatest fame as a player came in eight seasons of indoor soccer where he was a consistent scoring threat with the Kansas City Attack and Milwaukee Wave. He also earned twelve caps, scoring five goals, with the United States national futsal team.
Jim Adams is an American soccer goalkeeper who most recently played for the Cincinnati Excite in the American Indoor Soccer League. He played two seasons in the USISL earlier in his career where he was also the 1995 Goalkeeper of the Year.
Mark Simpson is an American former soccer player and coach. A goalkeeper, he spent six seasons with D.C. United in Major League Soccer. He backstopped the team to the MLS Cup 1996. He also spent one season in the American Professional Soccer League, two in the USISL and six in the National Professional Soccer League. He earned one cap with the U.S. National Futsal Team in 1999. He was the Director of Soccer Operations for the planned North American Soccer League team Virginia Cavalry FC.
Kevin Sloan is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the American Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He has also coached professionally and is the former head coach of the Neumann College men's soccer team. Kevin took on a bigger role in 2015, when he resigned from Neumann to take on a new challenge as a scout for Manchester City
Brian Tyler Ownby is an American soccer player who plays for Louisville City in the USL Championship.
Jeff Rogers is a retired American soccer player. He began his professional career in the Major Indoor Soccer League before playing in the American Indoor Soccer League and its successor, the National Professional Soccer League, as well as the American Professional Soccer League and USISL.
Scott Cook is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the American Professional Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League and USISL.
Mali Walton is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the National Professional Soccer League and USL A-League. He won the 1998, 2000 and 2001 USL A-League and the 1999 U.S. Open Cup championships with the Rochester Rhinos.