Gary Allison is a retired German-born American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player. This outstanding

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

played professionally, for 12 years, from 1973 to 1984, in the NASL (

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 ...

), ASL( American Soccer League) and MISL( Major Indoor Soccer League) after attending Westmont College (1969–1972) in Santa Barbara, Ca. Allison was born in 1951 in Munich, Germany but raised in Fuerstenfeldbruck. In 1960, he was adopted by an American military family and became a US citizen. He attended Bitburg H.S. in Germany (received All-Conference award for Europe) and graduated in 1969 from Wasson H.S. in Colorado Springs, Co. He attended Westmont College where he helped guide the Warriors to a National Championship (NAIA) in 1972.

College

Allison attended and played 4 yrs. at Westmont College, in Santa Barbara, Ca. His stellar intercollegiate career was capped in 1972 when he was named MVP of the national tournament in winning the National Championship. Subsequently, he was chosen to the first ever Senior Bowl (he was the starting keeper for the West Squad), and named runner-up for Soccer Player of the Year honors. Additionally he was nominated for All-America honors, All-West Coast –all 4 years, and twice to the NAIA all-tournament team. He was named, twice, as Santa Barbara outstanding soccer player, in ’71 and ’72. His collegiate career was capped by being inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1973, he was drafted by the Dallas Tornado of the NASL.

Professional

In 1973, he signed with the

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. T ...

of the

. He played in only several games(international) over two seasons. In 1975, he 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 ...

in return for 8 players. He achieved the starters role until an injury cut his season short. After a lengthy recovery, he joined the Sacramento Spirits (in the American Soccer League)where he played in 1976-1977 . In 1977, he led the league with the lowest

goals against average Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...

and was named to the All-Star team. In 1978, he returned to the NASL to play for the San Diego Sockers and saw limited action due to injuries. In 1979, he joined the MISL ( Major Indoor Soccer League)where he would play a single season each year, before injuries knocked him out of the starting roles in Cleveland Force, Chicago Horizon,

Pittsburgh Spirit Pittsburgh Spirit was an indoor soccer team based in Pittsburgh and one of the original six teams that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). The Spirit was founded in 1978, suspended operation for the 1980–81 season, then returned ...

Los Angeles Lazers The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989. History Jerry Buss, the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers, Los ...

and

Buffalo Stallions The Buffalo Stallions were a soccer team based out of Buffalo, New York, that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979 to 1984. Their home arena was Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. It was the last professional club for which the Portu ...

, and finally a career-ending injury in Buffalo in 1984. He was a unanimous selection to the MISL All-Star team in 1981 while playing for the Chicago Horizon. He retired in 1984 due to an injury after 12 years in the pro's.

Business

Allison died July 6, 2023, and is survived by his wife, Ruth, stepson, Daniel, and daughters, Cynthia Natalie Allison and Stella Lu Allison.

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Gary 1952 births American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Chicago Horizons players Cleveland Force (original MISL) players Dallas Tornado players Men's association football goalkeepers Emigrants from West Germany to the United States Living people Los Angeles Aztecs players Los Angeles Lazers players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Pittsburgh Spirit players Sacramento Gold (1976–1980) players San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Westmont Warriors men's soccer players Footballers from Munich 20th-century American sportsmen