SJEQ: Tell us a bit about your history with the sport as a player, coach & fan.
DR: When I was about 8, my best friend’s dad was from England and they got me hooked - Not many teams back in 1968. We got a good group of players and we were a top team for quite a while. My freshman year in high school, almost that whole team was there and we went 13-0 and beat the varsity twice. I met my wife in high school where we were both playing soccer!
I was fortunate enough to coach my wife, some or her friends and some very talented women for almost 20 years playing in a first division women’s team, The Swarm, in the Bay Area Women's soccer league. We were the team to beat.
SJEQ: How’d you become a Quakes fan in the first place?
DR: I was an usher in the late 70s for NASL games at Spartan Stadium. In the early 80s I was playing for West Valley College and got to play a scrimmage against the Earthquakes. I actually scored a goal! I was playing center forward and a long pass came from the back line, Buzz or Mark Demling got there fist and was protecting the ball so Mike Hewitt could pick it up. I stuck my leg between his legs and toe-poked it though for a goal. We then proceeded to get schooled on how to play soccer and lost 6-1. They let up on us, but it is one of my best memories.
SJEQ: What are your favorite memories as a Quakes STH?
DR: We had our season tickets when Wynalda scored the first ever goal at Spartan Stadium. Our son was only 2 weeks old at his first game at Spartan. He is now 17, goes to every game and plays for the Earthquakes comp team in San Jose.
I am bummed that old soccer injuries forced me to have two knee replacements, the last one did not go so well, and I missed so many games. I am so happy to at least catch the last one before the offseason.
SJEQ: What are your thoughts on the new stadium?
DR: While we loved Spartan Stadium, Avaya is "Fan" tastic! We could not have hoped for a better venue. It is a sports person's stadium. I remember one match, it was hailing & my son and I are in our seats. My wife went into the concourse area to watch the game and we saw others leaving as well. We thought they left the stadium, but they were under a cover watching both the Earthquakes game and the Warriors playoff game. You guys are about the fans.
