Ron Newman is perhaps one of the best known professional soccer coaches in the United States.  He is also recognized as the “winningest” professional soccer coach in American soccer history.  His all-time professional winning record stands at 752 games, and includes outdoor, indoor, regular season and playoff games.  Ron is the only coach in U.S. Professional Soccer over the years to reach and exceed the 500-win plateau.  His recognition’s very deservedly includes membership in the United States Soccer Hall of Fame.
 

Ron Newman’s playing career included 14 years of professional playing service with Portsmouth, Leyton Orient, Crystal Palace and Gillingham of the English Football League.  He started his U.S. soccer career in 1967 with the newly formed Atlanta Chiefs Soccer Booster Club.  He went on to spend 7 seasons as coach of the Dallas Tornado’s, became head coach of the Los Angeles Skyhawks, the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, the San Diego Sockers, and the Arizona Sandsharks, before finally becoming the first coach hired by the MLS in 1995 by the Kansas City Wizards.
 

While many know that his professional teams have won 13 professional league championships, and also know of the outstanding winning record of his professional indoor teams during the 1980s, not many people know as much about his record as a player, general manager, youth soccer coach and administrator, soccer program advisor, volunteer player and coach teacher, advocate and promoter of soccer.  Also, not many people know of his outstanding service to youth soccer in Georgia.  Certainly Ron has been modest and unassuming about his accomplishments here, but we know that he remembers the exciting and active days of his involvement while in Georgia.
 

The Atlanta Chiefs came here in 1967 and adopted a policy of encouraging their players to go out into the community as often as possible and volunteer their help to local groups that were struggling to learn the game.  Not that players like Ron needed any encouragement to get involved in youth soccer.  Before long, he spent most of his off hours coaching youth teams, tutoring young boys and girls in the skills of the game, conducting countless evening and weekend clinics for aspiring youth guidance on organizing and developing successful programs.  Ron served as the Vice President of the Decatur-DeKalb YMCA Summer Soccer League, and most importantly of all, was as an excellent role model for the many, many youngsters with whom he interacted through his devoted involvement in youth soccer programs.  Perhaps this last facet that of a role model was the most important of all.
 

The image he helped exemplify and his stress among youth soccer players on sportsmanship, fair play, dedicated effort in learning and mastering soccer skills, and most of all enjoyment of the game, have left their permanent mark upon the game in Georgia.
 

Ron and his wife Olive now reside in Kansas City; have a son Guy, and a daughter, Tracey, both active in soccer since their youth and 5 grandchildren.  Guy played for NASL franchises in Fort Lauderdale and San Diego, and went on to coach with MISL and MLS franchises.