William Fryer
William J. "Tucker" Fryer (22 July 1895 in Burradon, Northumberland, England[1] – 29 August 1960 in Linden, New Jersey) was an English-American soccer half back. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 June 1895 | ||
| Place of birth | Burradon, Northumberland, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 29 August 1960 (aged 65) | ||
| Place of death | Linden, New Jersey, USA | ||
| Playing position(s) | Half Back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Byker West End | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1919–1921 | Barnsley | 9 | (0) |
| 1921 | Tebo Yacht Basin | ||
| 1921–1922 | Todd Shipyards | 20 | (3) |
| 1922–1923 | Paterson F.C. | 18 | (1) |
| 1923–1924 | → New York Giants | 15 | (2) |
| 1924–1927 | Fall River Marksmen | 70 | (5) |
| 1927–1929 | Brooklyn Wanderers | 7 | (0) |
| 1930–1931 | Newark Americans | 17 | (0) |
| – | Clan Gordon | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Fryer began his career with Byker West End. In 1919, he signed with Barnsley F.C. and spent two season with the club before leaving England for the United States. When he arrived, he signed with Tebo Yacht Basin F.C. of the New York State League. Tebo won both the league and South New York State Cup titles in 1921, but there are no records which show Fryer was with them during that period.[2] In the fall of 1921, Fryer moved to Todd Shipyards of the newly established American Soccer League. In 1922, Fryer and this teammates fell in the final of the National Challenge Cup to St. Louis Scullin Steel F.C. Todd Shipyards left the league at the end of the season and Fryer moved to Paterson F.C.. Fryer and Paterson went to the 1923 National Challenge Cup final, defeating Scullin Steel for the title.[3] In 1923, Paterson was sold to new ownership which moved the team to New York, renaming it the New York Giants. Fryer began the 1923–1924 season, but was sold to the Fall River Marksmen for the record fee of $1,500. He remained in Fall River until 1927 when he moved to the Brooklyn Wanderers. During his time in Fall River, Fryer won three league titles. In 1930, he moved to the Newark Americans.[4] He finished his career with the semi-professional Clan Gordon of an unknown league.
Fryer was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951.
References
- Census 1901. The National Archives. RG13/4791/119/51.
- U.S. Soccer History - 1921
- U.S. Open Cup at RSSSF
- Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921-1931 (Hardback). The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3429-4.