Steve Gay
Encyclopedia
Steve Gay is a former U.S. collegiate soccer forward
who was on the U.S. soccer team
at the 1972 Summer Olympics
. He went on to coach the UCLA
men's soccer team from 1975 to 1979.
Westmont College
, located in Santa Barbara, California
, where he starred on the men’s soccer team from 1966 to 1969. He holds several school scoring records including most points in a season with 80 (30 goals and 8 assists) in 1968. He is also the career points leader with 203. Finally, he scored 88 goals in his four seasons at Westmont. In 1968, Gay was selected as a third team All American. He was inducted into the NAIA Soccer Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Westmont Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1975, he played for the Los Angeles Aztecs
during the North American Soccer League
's indoor season.
. On July 25, 1971, he scored a hat trick in a 3-0 victory over Bermuda. The U.S. qualified for the games and Gay was selected to the U.S. roster
. The U.S. went 0-2-1 in group play and did not make the second round. Gay played the second game, a 3-0 loss to Malaysia when he came on for John Carenza
. In the third game, a 7-0 blow out at the hands of the host West German team, Gay started the game, but came out for Zylker.
in 1980.
Gay has continued to coach youth soccer after founding the Arizona Soccer Camp in 1978 with Alan Meeder.
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...
who was on the U.S. soccer team
United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics
The United States competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 400 competitors, 316 men and 84 women, took part in 185 events in 21 sports.-Medalists:...
at the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
. He went on to coach the UCLA
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
men's soccer team from 1975 to 1979.
Club career
Gay attended NAIANational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
Westmont College
Westmont College
Westmont offers 26 majors, including: alternative major, art, biology, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, economics and business, education program, engineering physics, English, history, European studies, kinesiology, liberal studies, mathematics, modern languages , music,...
, located in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, where he starred on the men’s soccer team from 1966 to 1969. He holds several school scoring records including most points in a season with 80 (30 goals and 8 assists) in 1968. He is also the career points leader with 203. Finally, he scored 88 goals in his four seasons at Westmont. In 1968, Gay was selected as a third team All American. He was inducted into the NAIA Soccer Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Westmont Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1975, he played for the Los Angeles Aztecs
Los Angeles Aztecs
The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974-81. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John.-History:...
during 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:...
's indoor season.
1972 Olympic team
In 1971, the U.S. Olympic soccer team began qualification games for the 1972 Summer Olympics1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
. On July 25, 1971, he scored a hat trick in a 3-0 victory over Bermuda. The U.S. qualified for the games and Gay was selected to the U.S. roster
United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics
The United States competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 400 competitors, 316 men and 84 women, took part in 185 events in 21 sports.-Medalists:...
. The U.S. went 0-2-1 in group play and did not make the second round. Gay played the second game, a 3-0 loss to Malaysia when he came on for John Carenza
John Carenza
John Carenza is a former U.S. soccer player who was a member of the U.S. Olympic soccer team. He also spent five seasons in the North American Soccer League.-College:...
. In the third game, a 7-0 blow out at the hands of the host West German team, Gay started the game, but came out for Zylker.
Coaching UCLA
In 1972, UCLA hired Gay to coach its men’s soccer team. Over the five seasons Gay spent as head coach, he compiled a 72-34-10 record before handing the team over to former assistant Sigi SchmidSigi Schmid
Siegfried "Sigi" Schmid is a German-American soccer coach. Born in Tübingen, West Germany, he moved to the United States with his family when he was a child. He played college soccer from 1972 to 1975 at the University of California, Los Angeles , where he was a starting midfielder in each...
in 1980.
Gay has continued to coach youth soccer after founding the Arizona Soccer Camp in 1978 with Alan Meeder.