Rob Ukrop (born April 5, 1970 in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

) is an American former soccer player who currently serves as Chairman of USL League One club Richmond Kickers. Ukrop, part of the

Ukrop's Super Market Ukrop's is an American company that operates a central bakery and kitchen producing baked goods and prepared meals. Its baked goods are marketed under Good Meadow and Ukrop's brand. In 1976 Ukrop's bought Dot's Pastry Shop, a well-known bakery in ...

family,1994 Newspaper article
/ref> grew up in Richmond where he attended Collegiate School where he starred with both the school's golf and soccer teams.ibid
/ref> When Ukrop graduated from high school in 1988, he had roster offers from Wake Forest and the University of Richmond. However, he chose to attend

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

. 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. However, he broke his leg at the start of the 1991 season. As a result, he was a medical redshirt that year, but came back strong in 1992. In 1992, his last season at Davidson, Ukrop led the nation in scoring, bagging 31 goals and assisting on 10 others. He also led Davidson to the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

Final Four only to fall to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

3–2 in overtime in the semifinals. That year, Ukrop was named a first team All American and the ISAA Player of the Year. He finished his four years at Davidson with the school record in career goals (76), points (184) and assists. His points total is almost double the next player on the points list. While still at Davidson, Ukrop played with the U.S. national B Team. After graduating from Davidson in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in classical studies, Ukrop went to the

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and " Olympiad". The Universiade is referred ...

with the U.S. U-23 national team. 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 The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League. The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with ...

of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). That year, he lost a significant number of games when he took an elbow to his face, resulting in a broken jaw. Ukrop then moved to the Raleigh Flyers (USISL) for the 1994 outdoor season, 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. In 1995, he was with the Richmond Kickers when that team won the USISL title. Ukrop was a USISL Atlantic Division All Star. The Kickers also took the 1995

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

with Ukrop being named the championship game MVP. In January 1996, the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

drafted Ukrop in the seventh round (65th overall) of the 1996 MLS Draft. However, he never became a regular contributor for the Revs, managing only nine games and 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. Ukrop continued to play each season with the Kickers until he announced his retirement on December 9, 2004. Ukrop retired holding the club records for career goals (70), career assists (30), career points (170) and matches (231). On January 24, 2004, Davidson retired Ukrop's jersey number (#6) and inducted him into its Hall of Fame.Davidson Hall of Fame
/ref> On April 30th, 2017, Ukrop was inducted into Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

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External links

Davidson info

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ukrop, Rob 1970 births Living people All-American men's college soccer players American soccer players Indoor soccer players American Professional Soccer League players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) players Major League Soccer players New England Revolution players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Baltimore Spirit players USISL players Raleigh Flyers players Richmond Kickers players USL First Division players Dayton Dynamo players Cincinnati Silverbacks players Davidson Wildcats men's soccer players Association football forwards