Bernard Derek Fagan (29 January 1949 – 30 December 2023) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a defender. He spent most of his career in the United States where he was later active as a coach.

Playing career

Born on 29 January 1949 in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

, Fagan began his career with the youth team of his hometown club, before making his professional debut in 1969 with

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

. Fagan played non-league football with

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

, before moving to the United States in 1974 to sign with the newly created Seattle Sounders of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

. In 1975, he began the season in Seattle but was traded to the

Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs were an American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, that existed from 1974 to 1981. The Aztecs competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 North American Soccer League season, 1974 ...

at mid-season. In 1977, he again began the season with the Aztecs but moved to the Los Angeles Skyhawks of the American Soccer League. In 1978, Fagan again began the season with one team, the

Colorado Caribous The Caribous of Colorado were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) during the 1978 season. The team was based in Denver, Colorado and played their home games at Mile High Stadium. After the season ...

of the NASL, and ended it with another, the Southern California Lazers of the American Soccer League. In 1979, he moved indoors with the

Detroit Lightning The Detroit Lightning was a Major Indoor Soccer League franchise which existed for only one season, 1979–1980. The Lightning finished that season at 15–17. The team's home arena was Cobo Arena. On May 28, 1980, at the end of the 1979–1980 ...

of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He then finished his career with the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

of the NASL.

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Fagan became a soccer coach. From 1985 to 1988, he coached

F.C. Portland FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pa ...

in the

Western Soccer Alliance The Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer ...

. He was head coach of Warner Pacific College, and he also ran th
Bernie Fagan Soccer Camps

Death

Fagan died on 30 December 2023. According to the announcement, he died in 2023, at the age of 74.Bernard Derek Fagan
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fagan, Bernie 1949 births 2023 deaths English men's footballers Footballers from Tyne and Wear Men's association football defenders English Football League players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Sunderland A.F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players Los Angeles Aztecs players Los Angeles Skyhawks players Caribous of Colorado players Southern California Lazers players Detroit Lightning players Portland Timbers (1975–1982) players Western Soccer Alliance coaches Portland Timbers (1985–1990) coaches Warner Pacific University faculty English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate football managers English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States College men's soccer coaches in the United States