John Dolinsky is a retired German-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 who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League,

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

and

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

. He also coached in the

where he was the 1989 Coach of the Year.

Player

College

Born in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, Dolinsky grew up in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He attended

Lewis University Lewis University is a private Lasallian university in Romeoville, Illinois, United States. It enrolls around 6,600 students in more than 80 undergraduate programs, 35 graduate programs, and accelerated programs for working adults. It is al ...

where from 1972 to 1975 he was a four-year starter on the men's soccer team. He was a 1973 and 1974 Honorable Mention (third team) All American. He finished his collegiate career with 51 goals and 32 assists. Lewis University inducted Dolinsky into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985. He did not complete his degree before turning professional and returned to school in 1991.

Professional

In 1976, Dolinsky began his professional career with the Chicago Cats of the American Soccer League. In 1978, he played for the Indianapolis Daredevils, also of the ASL. That fall, he began his indoor career with the Pittsburgh Spirit of Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1980, the Spirit traded Dolinsky to the

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 ...

. He began the 1981–1982 season with the Stallions, but was traded to the Kansas City Comets during the season. The Comets released him at the end of the season. In 1981, he played for the

Rochester Flash The Rochester Flash was an American soccer club based in Rochester, New York, that was a member of the American Soccer League from 1981–82 and of the United Soccer League in 1984. History Rochester's first experience with professional soccer ...

of the American Soccer League. He was a first team All Star that season. In 1982, he moved to the

Oklahoma City Slickers The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American association football, soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League (1933–83), American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983. ...

. In April 1983, he signed with the

Dallas Americans Dallas Americans was an American professional soccer club based in Dallas, Texas. The team played in the American Soccer League in 1983 and the United Soccer League in 1984 and 1985. Both leagues unofficially served as the second division of pr ...

. He continued to play for the Americans in 1984 when they played in the

. In the fall of 1984, he signed with the Canton Invaders of the

. He played two seasons with the Invaders, winning the 1985 and 1986 titles before moving to the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional indoor footbal ...

in 1986. He returned to outdoor soccer in the summer of 1985 as a player/coach with the

Tulsa Tornados The Tulsa Tornado's were a professional outdoor soccer team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played in the 2nd division United Soccer League (1984–85), United Soccer League during the partially completed 1985 United Soccer League season, 1985 season. ...

of the USL. After the USL collapsed six games into the season, Dolinsky moved to Chicago where he played for Chicago Schwaben. He signed with the

in 1986 and played two seasons before retiring as a player.

Coach

In January 1987, the Milwaukee Wave elevated Dolinsky to the position of player/coach. He coached the Wave through the 1989–1990 season. He was the 1989 AISA Coach of the Year. The Wave fired Dolinsky in June 1990. In February 1991, the Dayton Dynamo hired Dolinsky to coach the team for the remainder of the season. In the fall of 1991, he left the Dynamo to return to school, but came back in January 1992 to coach the team. He resigned a month later. In 1995, he became an assistant coach with the

Chicago Power The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team was sold to Peter Pocklington, m ...

. In 2004, he briefly coached the Indiana Blast of the fourth division

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

. Dolinsky currently serves as a Staff Coach for the Chicago Fire Academy.

Yearly Awards

*ASL All-Star Team: 1981 *AISA Coach of the Year: 1989

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolinsky, John 1954 births National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Buffalo Stallions players Canton Invaders players Chicago Cats players Chicago Schwaben players Dallas Americans players Emigrants from West Germany to the United States Indianapolis Daredevils players Kansas City Comets (1979–1991) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Milwaukee Wave players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches Oklahoma City Slickers (ASL) players Pittsburgh Spirit players Rochester Flash players Tulsa Tornados players United Soccer League (1984–85) coaches United Soccer League (1984–85) players Living people Chicago Fire FC non-playing staff Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Soccer players from Chicago American soccer coaches USL League Two coaches Lewis Flyers athletes Player-coaches 20th-century American sportsmen