Gordon Jago

Gordon Jago
Personal information
Full name Gordon Harold Jago
Date of birth (1932-10-22) 22 October 1932
Place of birth Poplar, London, England
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Dulwich Hamlet
1954–1962 Charlton Athletic 147 (1)
Teams managed
Eastbourne United
1967–1969 Baltimore Bays
1969 United States
1971–1974 Queens Park Rangers
1974–1977 Millwall
1978–1982 Tampa Bay Rowdies
1984–1989 Dallas Sidekicks
1991–1997 Dallas Sidekicks
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Gordon Harold Jago MBE (born 22 October 1932) is a former English association football player and manager.

Born in Poplar, London, Jago began his career in the Football League with Charlton Athletic, whom he joined in the 1954–55 season from non-league team Dulwich Hamlet. He made a total of 147 appearances, scoring one goal, at The Valley. His final season with the Addicks was 1961–62 before he moved back to non-league football, managing Eastbourne United. He started his coaching career with a spell at Fulham.

In 1967 he was appointed coach of North American Soccer League side Baltimore Bays. After two years Jago was named coach of the United States national team but ended this role after suffering two defeats in his only games in charge. In 1970 Jago joined Queens Park Rangers as a coach and became manager in January 1971. It was under his guidance that the basis of the QPR team which in 1975–76 would come within a point of the League title was assembled. He signed pivotal players such as Stan Bowles, Don Givens, Dave Thomas and Frank McLintock and led the club to promotion to the First Division in 1972/3. Jago left the club in October 1974 and was later appointed manager of Millwall where he remained until 1977. In 1976 Jago took Millwall from the Third to the Second Division.

He returned to North America to coach NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies between 1978 and 1982. He saw great success especially early on in Tampa, losing in the outdoor final in both 1978 and 1979 and winning an indoor championship in his second year. Jago would return the Rowdies to the indoor final in the 1981-82 season, but came up short on his second try. He took the Rowdies to the outdoor post-season in four of his five years in Tampa, before resigning in the latter part of a disappointing 1982 campaign.

Jago later had two separate stints as coach of indoor soccer side Dallas Sidekicks between 1984 and 1997, when he returned from coaching. He became President of the World Indoor Soccer League from 1998 until the merger with the MISL for the 2002 season. He is currently retired from being the Executive Director of the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup and currently is Ambassador and Special Consultant for the Dallas Cup. In recognition of his achievements, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. In December 2010, ESPN Wide World of Sports Disney Showcase, Gordon Jago was presented the "Lifelong Achievement Award" at Disney World in Orlando. Gordon was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup in recognition of his invaluable, selfless, and far reaching contribution to the beautiful game in March 2016.

In March 2013, Jago was one of six men named to the 2013 class of the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame. The other inductees, all players, are Preki, Kai Haaskivi, Zoltán Tóth, Brian Quinn, and Mike Stankovic.[1][2]

Gordon Jago is the colour commentator to Norm Hitzes for the Dallas Sidekicks' televised Major Arena Soccer League home games for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.[3]

In November 2013, Jago retired as the Executive Director of the Dallas Cup, Inc. and accepted the role of Ambassador and Special Consultant to the Dallas Cup, Inc.[4]

Coaching honours

Queens Park Rangers
Millwall
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Dallas Sidekicks
Individual Honors

References

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