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The North Dallas 40 Story
Our story begins in the year 1974 with Bud
Holloway(born 03-17-1929) who was approached while playing in a tennis
tournament(which he won by the way) by Jim Boswell to try his
athleticism in an "over-the-hill soccer league".
"Sounds good to me, but I don't know the first thing about soccer",
recalls Bud. Bud Holloway was a decathalete in his younger days and has
remained in excellent physical condition to this day. " I mostly
remember knocking people down on their behinds at the first Saturday
morning practice over at Walker Middle School," said Bud.
With 18 on the roster, John Howes who was team captain decided on a
platoon substitute rotation ( 15 min on, 15 min off) on the first ND40
team which was one of eight teams(mostly Hispanic) that first season.
Jim Gray, who was part of the first ND40 team, recalls those first
couple of seasons as a "forgettable experience,…we didn't
play well." In fact, the club finished in last place their inaugural
season.
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Arnold Morales, Jim Gray & Bud
Bud with Roger Burns & Allen Jensen
(and
Pabst Blue Ribbon..of course!)
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Having enjoyed the competition (and occasional
Mexican brawl), Bud decided to offer everyone on the team a chance for
more playing time by starting a new team; one in which he would captain
and, of course, play the full 90 minutes. So in 1975, the new North
Dallas 40 was formed and for the next several years enjoyed gradual
improvement under Bud's leadership.
As the North Texas Premier Soccer Association formed (circa 1977), ND40
entered in the Open Division III in the new five division league. Bud
also served as an Open Division II commissioner that year and has held
numerous posts since then. When asked about his earlier and more
memorable experiences with the club Bud said, " It had to be our first
tournament win which was a big surprise to everyone, including us." The
Dr Pepper Texas Adult Cup for the Men's Open Division was played at
Franklin field in 1980. "They even had announcers calling the play by
play," commented Bud. ND40 crushed the Austin Stars 3-0.
Through out most of the 80's, players who were considered the backbone
to the team's success were: Jack Ng, Allan Jensen, Bill Burton, Jim
Gray("Mr. Garbage"), Mike Lease, Craig Littlefield, Frank Yuric, Steve
Kissner, Roger Burns, Mike Curtis, and Ben Davis. " We were a family.
All sixteen players showed up to practices and the games. That was the
key to our success," Bud noted.
The club always finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the division
standings…a perennial play off team all throughout the 80's
and most of the 90's. In the fall of 1985, the club expanded and formed
a Men's Open Div II team. By the early 90's, ND40 had their first foray
into the Over 30 Divisions. Today, ND40 Soccer Club continues to grow,
establishing an over 40A and over 40B in 2002 while over 30B and over
30C continue to make there presence felt in their respective divisions.
And while there are new faces every season, many of the original team
members have remained part of this one-of-a-kind Men's Soccer Club
including Bud.
North Dallas 40-
Playoff game at Moss No. 6
Spring Season, 1988 Lost 1-0 |
North Dallas 40-(12/4/88)
at Buckingham
Won 30B Championship 2-1 |
North Dallas
40-Circa 1985 |
North Dallas
40-Circa 1998 |
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