Arnold “Lucky Arnie” Oliver (May 22, 1907 – October 16, 1993) was a U.S. soccer

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He spent at least six seasons in the American Soccer League. He was a member of the U.S. team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Club career

Oliver, the son of British immigrants, began his career with the New Bedford Quisset Mill, a cotton mill, club when he was fourteen. He then played with the Shawsheen Indians, a local amateur club which joined the professional American Soccer League in 1925. However, Oliver remained an amateur and when the Indians folded during the season, he moved to the Defenders Club, winning the 1926

National Amateur Cup The National Amateur Cup, also known as the USASA Amateur Cup, is an American soccer competition open to all amateur teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation through United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). In 1923, U.S. ...

title with them. Following the Amateur Cup final, Oliver turned professional when he signed with the

New Bedford Whalers New Bedford Whalers was the name of three American soccer teams based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The first Whalers played in the Southern New England Soccer League between 1914 and 1918. The second Whalers played in the American Soccer League ...

. He played only one game with the Whalers and in 1927, he moved to the

Hartford Americans The Hartford Americans was an American soccer club based in Hartford, Connecticut that was member of the professional American Soccer League. They joined the league in 1927, but were dropped early in the season to balance the league after the P ...

. However, they were kicked out of the league after only ten games and Oliver moved to

J&P Coats J. & P. Coats was an American soccer club founded in 1900 as the team of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island branch of the J. & P. Coats threadmaking company of Paisley, Scotland (following a 1952 merger this firm became part of the Coats Group). The club ...

for the remainder of the season. He spent most of the 1928–1929 season with J&P Coats, where he was at one point in a three-way tie for the league's scoring lead, but finished the season with the

. Oliver then moved to the

Pawtucket Rangers J. & P. Coats was an American soccer club founded in 1900 as the team of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island branch of the J. & P. Coats threadmaking company of Paisley, Scotland Paisley ( ; sco, Paisley, gd, Pàislig ) is a large town situated in ...

for the fall 1929 season. In the fall of 1930, he began the season with the 'Marksmen' before transferring to Providence F.C. In the spring of 1931, he played with

Fall River F.C. Fall River Football Club, also referred to as Fall River Field Club, was the name used by two United States soccer clubs, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. Both played in the American Soccer League during the early 1930s. The name is often used ...

then with the

in the fall of 1931. Some sources state Oliver ended his career in the American Soccer League in 1931, others say 1935. However, all agree that he finished his career with the amateur Santo Christos in 1938.

National team

In 1930, Oliver was called into the U.S. national team for the 1930 FIFA World Cup. He did not enter any of the U.S. games at the tournament but played several exhibition games during the U.S. team's South American tour following the cup. However, none of those games are considered full internationals.

Coaching

Following his retirement from playing, Oliver coached extensively. In 1966, he became the first head coach of the

UMass Dartmouth The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) is a public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly Southeastern Massachusetts Un ...

men's soccer team. From the team's founding in 1966 through the 1969 season, Oliver took the team to a 40-11-2 record. Oliver was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1968, the New England Soccer Hall of Fame in 1981 and the

Hall of Fame in 1997.

References

External links

June 20, 2002 newspaper profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Arnie 1907 births 1930 FIFA World Cup players 1993 deaths Sportspeople from New Bedford, Massachusetts Soccer players from Massachusetts American soccer players American Soccer League (1921–1933) players Shawsheen Indians players New Bedford Whalers players Hartford Americans players Pawtucket Rangers players Providence Gold Bug players Fall River F.C. (1922–1931) players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players American soccer coaches National Soccer Hall of Fame members Men's association football forwards