United Soccer Coaches has announced the election of four individuals as the newest members of its Hall of Fame. All four, including Lincoln Phillips, will be inducted as members of the Class of 2024 during the 84th annual United Soccer Coaches Convention, January 10-14, in Anaheim, Calif.
Phillips became the first Black professional soccer coach in U.S. history when he was named coach of the Washington Darts in 1968. In 1969 he was named the ASL’s Coach of the Year. Just one year later he took the helm as head coach of the Howard University men’s soccer team, where he led the Bison to the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship in 1974. He compiled a record of 117-19-11 at Howard including two undefeated seasons. Howard captured the 1971 Division I Championship title but it was later vacated officially by the NCAA for player eligibility issues. After leaving Howard, Phillips served as the Director of Coaching for the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association; was a member of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s national coaching staff; the head coach/general manager of the Maryland Bays of the ASL, and the head coach of Virginia Commonwealth University’s soccer team from 1989-94.
At the national level, Phillips served as the U.S. National Team goalkeeper coach (1992–94), a FIFA staff goalkeeper instructor (1994-05), and the technical director for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (2005-12). A member of the association since 1971, Phillips was a founder of the Black Coaches Community (formerly the Black Coaches Advocacy Group). He was inducted into the Howard University Hall of Fame in 1996, the Trinidad and Tobago Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Virginia-D.C. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002. He was the recipient of the 2020 Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award.
The United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to honor achievements in coaching, work on behalf of the association, and lifetime contributions to the game of soccer. Individuals are elected into the association’s Hall of Fame based on selections made through balloting of the Hall of Fame Committee. Click here for a list of previous United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame inductees.
SOURCE: unitedsoccercoaches.org