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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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