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DUE TO his commitment towards the development of football in Maryland, USA, former national goalkeeper, Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips was recently inducted into the Old Timers Soccer Association of Maryland Hall of Fame.

Having played and coached in the US for many years, Phillips was paid a special tribute to by the club’s president, William Schonowski. At a gala function held in Baltimore on May 10, the veteran footballer was presented with his official certificate which confirmed him one of the newest members of club’s Hall of Fame.

On this certificate, it stated that the former Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) technical director, “Was a legend in his country of Trinidad and Tobago as a goalkeeper and was known as the ‘Tiger’ for his quickness. Was drafted by the Baltimore Bays in 1968 and started a professional career that lasted four years.

Coached Howard University to two NCAA Championships and was player-coach for the Maryland Bays and Washington Darts. Coached for many years on the youth level in Maryland turning around the soccer programme at Gaithersburg High School and ran the Lincoln Phillips Soccer Summer Schools. Is currently the assistant goalkeeper coach for the Loyola University women’s team and consistently, honestly and effectively promoted the game of soccer in Maryland.”

There was also a specific magazine published for the function which revealed and delved a bit deeper into the lives and achievements of their 2013 inductees. Phillips had his special section in this magazine, where the author demonstrated a time-line of the veteran’s events after his bronze medal performance for TT at the 1967 Pan American Games.

Some of the detailed excerpts from this article revealed that Phillips was drafted by the Baltimore Bays in 1968, under the auspices of coach Gordon Jago. His professional career spanned into the 1970’s when sports announcer Jim Karvellas rebuilt the disbanded Bays to play some of the world’s best football clubs.

Even though Phillips was on the receiving end of three goals from long-time master Pele (Santos, Brazil), he was held in high regard by Bays coach Joe Speca and was ultimately dubbed “the best of anyone who ever played in the North American Soccer League”.

In 1975, the acrobatic custodian made his final saves under the renamed Baltimore Comets. However, soon after, Phillips began a coaching career that would affect the lives of many young players from the Maryland, Virginia, and DC metropolitan area as well as internationally.

He started by taking Howard University to two NCAA Championships, the first national intercollegiate titles won by a black University in any sport. Then, his annual Lincoln Phillips Soccer School became a model of coaching success for over 25 years.

The United States Soccer Federation certified A- License coach attracted thousands of kids to live-in summer camps. By coaching teenagers, Phillips turned around a hapless Gaithersburg High School team by making players play to their strengths and believe in their own abilities.

In 1970, As player-coach for the Washington Darts, the high flying Phillips kept the ball out of his own net for 12 consecutive games, earning himself a place in the Guinness Book of Records. He has since relinquished that record. In 1972, he had a two year stint as coach and general manager of the Maryland Bays, where he built a team around local talent and went 13-5 in the first season. According to the article, “the Tiger kept the ball up, when it threatened to hit the ground.”

Presently at age 72, Phillips is the assistant goal-keeping coach for the Loyola University women’s team which recently won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title. Additionally and without surprise, the team’s goalkeeper was voted MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year.

In his short address after being inducted, Phillips said “I would like to share this award with the many players I recruited from Trinidad and Tobago, Africa and the other Caribbean Islands who played for me on the professional and the intercollegiate levels and served on my coaching staff at the LPSS.

They are as follows; Pros: Victor Gamaldo, Gerry Brown, Dr. Winston Alexis, Leroy DeLeon, Warren Archibald, Selris Figaro; College: Dr. Alvin Henderson, Keith Aqui, Desmond Alfred, Keith Look Loy, Neil Williams, Dr. Trevor Leiba, Steve Waldron, Tony Martin, Ian Bain, Rick Yallery Arthur (Trinidad & Tobago), Richard Davy, Michael Davy, Kenneth Davy, Keith Tulloch, Mario McLennan, Bertram Beckett, Bancroft Gordon (Jamaica); Donnie Simmons, Stan Smith (Bermuda), Tunde BAlogun, Yomi Bamiro, Sunday Izvibigie, Kenneth Illogigwe, Dom Ezeani, Miyiwa Sanya (Nigeria), Samuel Tetteh (Ghana), Mori Diana (Guinea), Amde-Michael Selassie (Ethiopia); Staff Members of the Lincoln Phillips Soccer School: Philbert Prince, Tim Lambkin, Ken Elie, Gally Cummings, Kenwyn Cooper, Keith Look Loy, Ian Bain, Alvin Henderson, Myron Garnes, Hannibal Najjar, Veron Skinner, Richard Chinapoo and Vic Gamaldo.”