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Harry Ratican

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Harry Ratican
Personal information
Full name Harry Jay Ratican
Date of birth (1894-01-20)January 20, 1894
Place of birth St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Date of death August 22, 1964(1964-08-22) (aged 70)
Place of death St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
St. Louis University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1914 Teresas [1] 1 (1)
1914–1916 Ben Millers
1916–1919 Bethlehem Steel
1920–1921 Robins Dry Dock
1921 → Todd Shipyards 7 (2)
1921 Fall River United
1922 Harrison S.C. 3 (1)
1922 Fall River F.C. 0 (0)
1923 Ben Millers
1923 New York Giants 1 (0)
1925–1927 Ratican's ? (10)
1927–1928 → Tablers ? (5)
Managerial career
1922–1923 West Point
1923 Scullin Steel (assistant)
1925–1926 St. Louis Pants Store
Ratican's
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Harry Jay Ratican (January 20, 1894 – August 22, 1964) was an American soccer forward, coach and team owner. He began and ended his career in the St. Louis Soccer League with several years in both the National Association Football League and American Soccer League. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Soccer career

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Club career

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Ratican, the younger brother of Peter Ratican, grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, attending the Christian Brothers College High School and St. Louis University. On October 19, 1914, Ratican played his first professional match with the Teresas of the St. Louis Soccer Football League scoring a goal after six minutes of play.[1] The next Sunday, Ratican moved to the Ben Millers (managed by his brother, Pete) of the Federal Park Soccer League, scoring two goals in the match.[2]

In 1916, he left St. Louis to sign with Bethlehem Steel in the National Association Football League (NAFBL). In December, he returned to St. Louis when Bethlehem played two games, one against a St. Louis All Star team, the second against Ratican's old team, Ben Millers. Bethlehem lost 3–1 to the All Star team, with Ratican scoring the lone Bethlehem goal. They then tied Ben Millers 2–2 with Ratican again scoring Bethlehem's first goal of the game.[3] During the 1917–18 season, he and teammate Tommy Fleming led the league in scoring. In April, they both had twenty goals each, but records do not show how many they had at the end of the season.[4] In 1918, Bethlehem won the National Challenge Cup, Ratican scoring in the final, and again in 1919 with Ratican again scoring in the final. However, Ratican was out for much of the 1918–19 season will an unknown illness.[5]

In July, Ratican signed with Robins Dry Dock. However, he still traveled with Bethlehem, serving as team captain, on its tour of Scandinavia that summer.[6] In 1920, the St. Louis Soccer League sent an All Star team on a tour of Scandinavia. Despite playing in the ASL, Ratican was still invited and went on the tour.[7] Ratican won another National Challenge Cup in 1921 with Robins. In 1921, the NAFBL folded when several teams left to form the American Soccer League. Robins Dry Dock merged with Tebo Yacht Basin F.C. to become Todd Shipyards, which was the parent corporation for both Robins Dry Dock and Tebo Yacht Basin. Todd Shipyards lost the 1922 National Challenge Cup to St. Louis Scullin Steel F.C. Ratican did not finish the 1921–22 season with Todd, but moved to Harrison S.C.

Ratican began the 1922–23 season with the Fall River F.C., but a torn ligament in his leg prevented him from playing any games with the team.

Ratican left Fall River in September 1922 to coach the West Point soccer team. He was not released from his playing contract with Fall River until December 1922 at which time he began seeking playing opportunities with other ASL teams. When those did not materialize, he left the northeast on the completion of the collegiate season to return to St. Louis to rejoin Ben Millers, scoring two goals in his debut.[8] He then returned to the ASL later that year to play one game with the New York Giants.

He then gave up playing for several years, except for guest appearances with various St. Louis teams.[9] In 1925, Ratican began playing regularly with his team Ratican's in the SLSL. He remained with Ratican's until it changed sponsorship in 1927. He then continued playing with the renamed team, now known as Tablers for the 1927–28 season. Tablers won the SLSL title that season.[10]

Managerial career

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In September 1922, Ratican was hired by the United States Military Academy at West Point to coach the university's soccer team.[11] Following the completion of the collegiate season, he returned to St. Louis, playing for Ben Millers then serving as an assistant coach with St. Louis Scullin Steel F.C. This pattern continued for several years as Ratican coached West Point and returned to St. Louis during the offseason to play or coach local teams.

In 1924, Ratican formed a team, known appropriately as Ratican's, which he entered in the St. Louis Soccer League. The team performed poorly, finishing fourth out of four teams with a 2-12-4 record.[12] They improved the next season, finishing third with a 4-6-4 record.[13] In 1927, Ratican's again finished last, with a 1-8-3 record.[14] In 1927, Tabler's took over sponsorship of Ratican's team, renaming the squad, Tablers.[10]

Ratican was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame and St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950.[15][16]

Baseball

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In addition to soccer, Ratican also played minor league baseball. He spent some time with the Quincy Gems of the Three-I League.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Soccer 'Jumpers' May Hurdle Back to Leos' League". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1914-10-19. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  2. ^ "Latest Luminary in Soccer World is Harry Ratican". The St. Louis Star. 1914-10-26. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  3. ^ "December 16, 1916 Bethlehem Globe". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ a b "April 18, 1918 Bethlehem Globe". Archived from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "July 15, 1919 Bethlehem Globe". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "July 21, 1919 Bethlehem Globe". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ August 13, 1920 New York Times
  8. ^ "January 22, 1923 Bethlehem Globe". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "January 15, 1924 Bethlehem Globe article". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ a b "1928 in U.S. soccer history". Archived from the original on 2000-10-12. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  11. ^ "September 16, 1922 Bethlehem Globe". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ "1925 in U.S. soccer history". Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  13. ^ "1926 in U.S. soccer history". Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  14. ^ "1927 in U.S. soccer history". Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  15. ^ "Harry Ratican - 1950 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame". Harry Ratican - 1950 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  16. ^ "St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2008-02-05. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
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