Farrukh Quraishi
Encyclopedia
Farrukh Quraishi is a retired Iran
ian-born soccer player who was the 1974 Hermann Trophy
winner. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League
playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Calgary Boomers
. Since retiring from playing, he has held numerous executive positions in U.S. soccer teams and organizations.
(USL), was an assistant coach at Oneonta State
and a fledgling soccer entrepreneur. He had created American International Sports Exchange to coordinate overseas soccer tours for U.S. teams. On one of these trips in 1970, Marcos met Quraishi and convinced him to attend and play soccer at Oneonta State. Over his three years with Oneonta, Quraishi developed into one of the era's best college players. He was a member of the 1972 Oneonta team which lost to SIU-E
in the NCAA Division II championship game. That year he was selected to the 1972 State University of New York Conference All Conference team, an honor he repeated in 1973 and 1974. Although the team did not advance as far his junior and senior year, he was showered with accolades, being named a first team All American
in 1973 and 1974. He capped this when he was named the 1974 Hermann Trophy
winner as the best collegiate player in the nation. Oneonta State
inducted Quraishi into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
selected Quraishi with the first overall pick in the NASL college draft. That season, despite being a rookie, Quraishi was named to the NASL All Star First Team. However, Quraishi remained committed to his education, which he had not yet finished, and continued to study while playing. In 1976 he graduated from Oneonta with a bachelors degree
in sociology
. Quraishi struggled with injuries, including a broken leg, which had a severe negative impact on his career. While he played 21 games as a rookie, he never again saw that many games in a season. In 1976 he played fifteen and in 1977 fourteen games. He lost the entire 1978 season due to the broken leg but came back strong in 1979, seeing time in eighteen games. However, injuries again reduced his playing time and he entered only nine games in 1980. He then moved to the expansion Calgary Boomers
for whom he played one indoor season, 1980-1981. At the end of the indoor season, he retired from playing professionally and moved back to Tampa.
’s venue executive director for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
.
(MLS). MLS began developing itself prior to its first season in 1996, Quraishi became part of the process of bringing a franchise to Tampa Bay. When MLS created the Tampa Bay Mutiny
, it hired Quraishi as the team’s president and general manager
. Despite a successful inaugural season, the Mutiny, which was one of three teams directly owned by the league, had one of the lowest average attendances in MLS. Despite winning the Supporter's Shield for having the best regular season record in MLS, winning the Eastern Conference regular season title, producing the league MVP (Carlos Valderrama), scoring champion (Roy Lassiter), rookie of the year (Steve Ralston), coach of the year (Thomas Rongen) and six players named to the MLS All-Star team, Quraishi was fired by then MLS commissioner Doug Logan. Reasons given for Quraishi's firing were poor attendance and the fact that the team's director of finance, Mark Fortunat, was charged with embezzling money from the club. As one of three teams directly owned by the league (the others were San Jose and Dallas), the team's director of finance also reported directly to the finance department at MLS headquarters in Los Angeles. Quraishi was not implicated in the Fortunat incident and was in fact instrumental in Fortunat being convicted of the charges when MLS decided to drop the matter. As a result of Quraishi's firing, Thomas Rongen, the team’s head coach, resigned and moved to the New England Revolution
.
, the Cape Cod Crusaders
and the Boston Renegades
.. Quraishi also worked as a soccer broadcast announcer and worked with Master Coach International, a match and player video analysis company that developed proprietary software. In 2004, he was appointed to the USL
Owners Advisory Council.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-born soccer player who was the 1974 Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
winner. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Calgary Boomers
Calgary Boomers
The Calgary Boomers were a professional soccer team, that competed in the North American Soccer League during the 1981 season, after which they folded. They were owned by Nelson Skalbania, a Canadian businessman who moved the Memphis Rogues to Calgary, Alberta after the 1980 season.-1981 Roster:*No...
. Since retiring from playing, he has held numerous executive positions in U.S. soccer teams and organizations.
Youth
Quraishi was born in Iran, but grew up in London, England. In the late 1960s, Francisco Marcos, who later founded the United Soccer LeaguesUnited Soccer Leagues
The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
(USL), was an assistant coach at Oneonta State
State University of New York at Oneonta
The State University of New York College at Oneonta is a four-year liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York, United States, with approximately 5,800 students. The College offers many bachelor's degrees and a number of graduate degrees...
and a fledgling soccer entrepreneur. He had created American International Sports Exchange to coordinate overseas soccer tours for U.S. teams. On one of these trips in 1970, Marcos met Quraishi and convinced him to attend and play soccer at Oneonta State. Over his three years with Oneonta, Quraishi developed into one of the era's best college players. He was a member of the 1972 Oneonta team which lost to SIU-E
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, commonly abbreviated SIUE, is a four-year coed public university in Edwardsville, Illinois about from St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and is the younger of the two largest...
in the NCAA Division II championship game. That year he was selected to the 1972 State University of New York Conference All Conference team, an honor he repeated in 1973 and 1974. Although the team did not advance as far his junior and senior year, he was showered with accolades, being named a first team All American
Division I First-Team All-American (soccer)
The Division I First-Team All-Americans are the best eleven U.S. college soccer players as selected by the NCAA.-1970–1983:From 1970 to 1983 the NCAA only named defenders and forwards in addition to one goalkeeper.-1983–present:...
in 1973 and 1974. He capped this when he was named the 1974 Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
winner as the best collegiate player in the nation. Oneonta State
State University of New York at Oneonta
The State University of New York College at Oneonta is a four-year liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York, United States, with approximately 5,800 students. The College offers many bachelor's degrees and a number of graduate degrees...
inducted Quraishi into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
Professional
In 1975, the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
selected Quraishi with the first overall pick in the NASL college draft. That season, despite being a rookie, Quraishi was named to the NASL All Star First Team. However, Quraishi remained committed to his education, which he had not yet finished, and continued to study while playing. In 1976 he graduated from Oneonta with a bachelors degree
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. Quraishi struggled with injuries, including a broken leg, which had a severe negative impact on his career. While he played 21 games as a rookie, he never again saw that many games in a season. In 1976 he played fifteen and in 1977 fourteen games. He lost the entire 1978 season due to the broken leg but came back strong in 1979, seeing time in eighteen games. However, injuries again reduced his playing time and he entered only nine games in 1980. He then moved to the expansion Calgary Boomers
Calgary Boomers
The Calgary Boomers were a professional soccer team, that competed in the North American Soccer League during the 1981 season, after which they folded. They were owned by Nelson Skalbania, a Canadian businessman who moved the Memphis Rogues to Calgary, Alberta after the 1980 season.-1981 Roster:*No...
for whom he played one indoor season, 1980-1981. At the end of the indoor season, he retired from playing professionally and moved back to Tampa.
Public Relations
While playing with the Rowdies, Quraishi also served as the team’s director of youth development. In this capacity he got his first taste of managing and developing a team’s infrastructure. While the players are the natural focus of any sport, these players are supported by owners, executives, managers, salesmen, etc. Quraishi gained valuable exposure to this side of soccer at an early point in his career and it served him well for the rest of his life. As part of his duties in community relations, Quraishi developed soccer leagues and soccer camps throughout the Tampa Bay area. When he returned to Tampa, Caspers Company, a McDonald’s franchisee, hired him as its director of public relations. As part of his duties, he placed the McDonald’s name and logo into the public’s awareness through charity and youth events. Among these was the establishment of the McDonald's Sun Bowl International Youth Soccer Tournament. He remained with the company until 1992 when he re-entered the soccer world full time as Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
’s venue executive director for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
.
Tampa Bay Mutiny
After the World Cup, Quraishi became involved in the establishment of Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
(MLS). MLS began developing itself prior to its first season in 1996, Quraishi became part of the process of bringing a franchise to Tampa Bay. When MLS created the Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
, it hired Quraishi as the team’s president and general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
. Despite a successful inaugural season, the Mutiny, which was one of three teams directly owned by the league, had one of the lowest average attendances in MLS. Despite winning the Supporter's Shield for having the best regular season record in MLS, winning the Eastern Conference regular season title, producing the league MVP (Carlos Valderrama), scoring champion (Roy Lassiter), rookie of the year (Steve Ralston), coach of the year (Thomas Rongen) and six players named to the MLS All-Star team, Quraishi was fired by then MLS commissioner Doug Logan. Reasons given for Quraishi's firing were poor attendance and the fact that the team's director of finance, Mark Fortunat, was charged with embezzling money from the club. As one of three teams directly owned by the league (the others were San Jose and Dallas), the team's director of finance also reported directly to the finance department at MLS headquarters in Los Angeles. Quraishi was not implicated in the Fortunat incident and was in fact instrumental in Fortunat being convicted of the charges when MLS decided to drop the matter. As a result of Quraishi's firing, Thomas Rongen, the team’s head coach, resigned and moved to the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
.
United Soccer League
Despite this disappointment, Quraishi did not leave soccer management, but became a professional sports consultant for two years before moving to Massachusetts in 1998 to join Massachusetts Professional Soccer where he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer, overseeing the management of the Boston BulldogsBoston Bulldogs (soccer)
The Boston Bulldogs were a soccer club originally founded in 1996 as the Worcester Wildfire. The team debuted in the USISL and would play in the A-League from 1997 to 2000...
, the Cape Cod Crusaders
Cape Cod Crusaders
Cape Cod Crusaders were an American soccer team based in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1994, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league.The team...
and the Boston Renegades
Boston Renegades
Boston Renegades was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2003. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team plays in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference...
.. Quraishi also worked as a soccer broadcast announcer and worked with Master Coach International, a match and player video analysis company that developed proprietary software. In 2004, he was appointed to the USL
United Soccer Leagues
The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
Owners Advisory Council.