Alketas Panagoulias
Alketas ("Alkis") Panagoulias (Greek: Αλκέτας Παναγούλιας, 30 May 1934 – 18 June 2012) was a Greek association football player and manager. He managed the national teams of both Greece and the United States. He also managed several clubs, including Aris, his birthplace team, and Olympiakos with whom he won three Alpha Ethniki championships.
![]() Panagoulias in 1986 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alketas Panagoulias | ||
Date of birth | 30 May 1934 | ||
Place of birth | Thessaloniki, Greece | ||
Date of death | 18 June 2012 78) | (aged||
Place of death | Virginia, United States | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1951–1962 | Aris | ||
1962–1967 | Greek American AA | ||
Teams managed | |||
1967–1971 | Greek American Atlas | ||
1972–1973 | Greece (assistant) | ||
1973–1976 | Greece | ||
1977–1981 | Greece | ||
1981–1983 | Olympiacos | ||
1983–1985 | United States | ||
1983 | Team America | ||
1984 | United States Olympic | ||
1985–1987 | Olympiacos | ||
1987–1990 | Aris | ||
1991–1992 | Levadiakos | ||
1992–1994 | Greece | ||
1997 | Iraklis | ||
1998–1999 | Aris | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Early life and playing career
Alketas was born in Thessaloniki, Greece on 30 May 1934. Alketas started his football career as a player for Aris Thessaloniki F.C. [1] in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Coaching career
After finishing his first degree, he moved to the United States, where he attended the University of New York City. There he coached the Greek American Atlas (former "New York Greek Americans") to three consecutive National Challenge Cup titles in 1967, 1968, and 1969.
He returned to Athens, Greece as the assistant coach of the Greece national football team, under the famous Northern Ireland coach Billy Bingham, in 1972. In the next year, he became head coach of the Greek National Football team.[2] He coached the Greek team [2] from 1973–1981, including the first appearance of Greece in the Euro of 1980, in Italy. That remained the only time Greece had qualified for the Euro tournament until 2004, when they won the championship. He coached the famous Olympiacos C.F.P. [3] from 1981–1983, earning the championship title in 1982 and 1983.
He returned to the United States to become the head coach of the United States men's national soccer team, Team America, based in Washington, DC, RFK Stadium, from 1983 – 1985. He served as head coach of the United States Olympic Soccer team in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
He subsequently returned to Athens, Greece to coach Olympiacos C.F.P., earning the championship title in 1987. He also coached Aris FC from 1987– 1990 and Levadiakos from 1991–1992. He returned as head coach of the Greek National Football team in 1992 [2] and led the team to its first appearance in a World Cup in 1994. Although he was very popular among Greek fans at the time, the dreadful performance of the National Team in the World Cup was perceived largely as a national disgrace and he attracted widespread criticism. He coached Iraklis FC in 1997 and coached Aris Thessaloniki F.C. from 1998– 1999.
Later career
Following his retirement from coaching, Panagoulias served as President of Aris Thessaloniki F.C. in 2002. During the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, he served as venue manager for the soccer events held in Athens. His biography, was published in Greece in November 2007.
He was elected member of the city council of Thessaloniki, and was a candidate for the Greek Parliament and a candidate for the European Parliament representing Greece in 1993. He was a FIFA instructor, a National Faculty member of the US Academy of Sports and a member of the USSF Coaches Council.
Panagoulias was a member of the U.S. Soccer Federation Hall of Fame.
In 2014, the side street adjacent to Aris Thessaloniki F.C. stadium, (Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium), was named after him following a decision by the City Council of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
Honours
Player
Manager
Greek American AA
- National Challenge Cup: 1968, 1969
Olympiacos
References
- Aris FC website Archived 17 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- Greek National Football team site Archived 11 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- Olympiacos web site Archived 1 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- The Greek, The Washington Post
- The Long, Hard Struggle To Mold An American Team, The New York Times
- Obituary, The Washington Post
- FIFA Obituary
- Team America is Taking Shape, The New York Times
- Obituary, Soccer America
- Explaining The Lack of American Coaches Abroad
- Red, White, Blue and New, Sports Illustrated