Millard Lang
Encyclopedia
Millard T. Lang was a U.S. soccer forward
and lacrosse
player who is a member of both the National Soccer Hall of Fame
and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
where he had an exceptional athletic record. He lettered
in five sports: soccer, lacrosse, basketball, football and tennis. He also ran track. He was captain of his school’s soccer team, which won two city prep championships under his leadership. After graduating from high school in 1930, he entered Johns Hopkins University
playing football and lacrosse. He was a four-time lacrosse All American, three times as First Team. Each of these awards was for a separate position, third defense, second attack and out home, showing Lang’s breadth of ability in that sport. From 1932 to 1934, Johns Hopkins ran to three undefeated seasons and three consecutive national championships. In 1932, the Johns Hopkins lacrosse team was selected to represent the United States at the 1932 Summer Olympics
. Lacrosse was an exhibition sport at those games, and the U.S. defeated Canada in two games of the three games played.
. At the time, soccer in the United States rarely paid well enough to provide a livable income. Consequently, he worked for Westinghouse Electric Company
as a marketing representative. Over the years, he would work in Baltimore, Cleveland and Chicago, joining teams in those cities as his job with Westinghouse moved him. In his first season in the league, Lang led the league in scoring with fourteen goals. In 1936, Westinghouse transferred Lang to Cleveland, Ohio
. When he arrived, he joined Cleveland Graphite Bronze, but moved to Chicago in 1937 where he signed with Chicago Sparta
of the National Soccer League of Chicago
. Lang and his team mates won the 1938 NSL championship, 1938-1939 St. Louis Soccer League
title and the 1939 Peel Cup
. Sparta won the 1940 U.S. Open Cup, but Lang did not play in the championship game. That summer, he moved to Chicago Eagles, but returned to Sparta in 1941 until he returned to Baltimore in 1942 where he rejoined the Baltimore Canton which had just renamed themselves the Baltimore Americans. He spent an unknown number of seasons with the Americans, but finished tenth in the league in scoring during the 1943-1944 season with ten goals in thirteen games. That season the Americans also won the league title.
during the 1944-1945 season. He later served in numerous executive positions at both the team and league levels. He was the president of the Maryland and D.C. State Association and in 1954, became the general manager and co-owner of the Baltimore Rockets.
Lang was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame
in 1950, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1978, the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame in 1983. and the John Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. In December 1999, Sports Illustrated ranked him 44th on a list of 50 all time great Maryland athletes.
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
and lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
player who is a member of both the National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Youth and college
Lang began playing soccer for a team in the Baltimore Police Athletic League when he was thirteen. Lang attended high school at Baltimore Polytechnic InstituteBaltimore Polytechnic Institute
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute is a US public high school founded in 1883. Though established as an all-male trade school,it now is a institution that emphasizes mathematics, the sciences, and engineering. It is located on a tract of land in North Baltimore at Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane,...
where he had an exceptional athletic record. He lettered
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
in five sports: soccer, lacrosse, basketball, football and tennis. He also ran track. He was captain of his school’s soccer team, which won two city prep championships under his leadership. After graduating from high school in 1930, he entered Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
playing football and lacrosse. He was a four-time lacrosse All American, three times as First Team. Each of these awards was for a separate position, third defense, second attack and out home, showing Lang’s breadth of ability in that sport. From 1932 to 1934, Johns Hopkins ran to three undefeated seasons and three consecutive national championships. In 1932, the Johns Hopkins lacrosse team was selected to represent the United States at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Lacrosse at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Lacrosse was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Teams from Canada and the United States played three games, with the team from the United States winning the series 2 games to 1...
. Lacrosse was an exhibition sport at those games, and the U.S. defeated Canada in two games of the three games played.
Professional
Lang graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1934, having earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Following his graduation, he began his professional soccer career with the expansion Baltimore Canton of the American Soccer LeagueAmerican Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
. At the time, soccer in the United States rarely paid well enough to provide a livable income. Consequently, he worked for Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...
as a marketing representative. Over the years, he would work in Baltimore, Cleveland and Chicago, joining teams in those cities as his job with Westinghouse moved him. In his first season in the league, Lang led the league in scoring with fourteen goals. In 1936, Westinghouse transferred Lang to Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. When he arrived, he joined Cleveland Graphite Bronze, but moved to Chicago in 1937 where he signed with Chicago Sparta
Chicago Sparta
The Sparta Athletic and Benevolent Association Football Club, better known as Chicago Sparta, is one of the longest continually established soccer clubs in the United States...
of the National Soccer League of Chicago
National Soccer League of Chicago
The National Soccer League of Chicago, formed by the merger of the Chicago Soccer League and International Soccer Football League of Chicago in 1928, is a semi-professional U.S...
. Lang and his team mates won the 1938 NSL championship, 1938-1939 St. Louis Soccer League
St. Louis Soccer League
The St. Louis Soccer League was a soccer league based in St. Louis, Missouri, that existed from 1907 to 1938. At its founding, it was the only fully professional soccer league in the United States.-History:...
title and the 1939 Peel Cup
Peel Cup
The Peter J. Peel Challenge Cup, better known as the Peel Cup, was an open soccer competition that crowned the Illinois state champion until it was replaced by the Illinois Governor’s Cup in 1970.-Origins:...
. Sparta won the 1940 U.S. Open Cup, but Lang did not play in the championship game. That summer, he moved to Chicago Eagles, but returned to Sparta in 1941 until he returned to Baltimore in 1942 where he rejoined the Baltimore Canton which had just renamed themselves the Baltimore Americans. He spent an unknown number of seasons with the Americans, but finished tenth in the league in scoring during the 1943-1944 season with ten goals in thirteen games. That season the Americans also won the league title.
Coach and executive
Lang coached the Baltimore AmericansBaltimore Americans
-Baltimore Canton/S.C./Americans:The Baltimore Canton was an American soccer club based in Baltimore, Maryland that was a member of the American Soccer League....
during the 1944-1945 season. He later served in numerous executive positions at both the team and league levels. He was the president of the Maryland and D.C. State Association and in 1954, became the general manager and co-owner of the Baltimore Rockets.
Lang was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
in 1950, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1978, the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame in 1983. and the John Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. In December 1999, Sports Illustrated ranked him 44th on a list of 50 all time great Maryland athletes.