Bob Rigby (born July 3, 1951, in

Ridley Park, Pennsylvania Ridley Park is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 7,002 at the 2010 census. Ridley Park is the home of The Boeing Company's CH-47 Chinook helicopter division. History Native American The Lenape inhabited the Delaw ...

) is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper. Rigby played twelve seasons in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

, three in the Major Indoor Soccer League, one in the

Western Soccer Alliance Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alli ...

and earned six

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

with the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ha ...

. Rigby was the color commentator with the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

Player

Youth

Rigby, the son of school teachers, was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. He played soccer while a student at

Ridley High School Ridley High School serves the Ridley School District. It is located in Folsom, Pennsylvania, United States. The new high school opened in September 2001. In the 2017–2018 school year, Ridley High School had 1,787 students. History The origina ...

in Folsom, Pennsylvania and continued on the collegiate level at East Stroudsburg (PA) State University and was named a first team All-American in 1972.

Professional

In 1973,

Philadelphia Atoms The Philadelphia Atoms were an American soccer team based out of Philadelphia that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). They played from 1973 to 1976, at Veterans Stadium (1973–75) and Franklin Field (1976). The club's colors wer ...

coach Al Miller, an alumnus of East Stroudsburg University, took Rigby as the first pick in the 1973 NASL college draft. Miller was building his team for the Atoms, which were an expansion franchise that year. Miller had watched Rigby play and was familiar with his excellent athleticism and technical ability. Rigby did not disappoint Miller. He set a league record of 0.62 goals allowed as a rookie that stood until the end of the league. That year, Philadelphia became the first U.S. professional team in any sport to win a championship their first year in existence. Rigby became a local and league hero and found himself on the cover of the September 3, 1973

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

, the first soccer player to be so honored. Rigby continued to provide positive exposure to the young NASL when he took fourth place in ABC's 1976 Superstars, a televised athletic competition pitting athletes from various sports. February 1974 saw Rigby involved in another significant first. The NASL was toying with the idea of indoor soccer and the Atoms hosted the Red Army of Moscow team in Philadelphia's Spectrum. This was one of the first indoor games to use the configuration familiar to future indoor leagues, an astroturf-covered ice rink with small goals set into the far walls. While the Red Army team won, 6-3, its coach had high praise for Rigby who had stopped 33 of the Soviets' 39 shots. The New York Cosmos acquired Rigby for the 1976 season, only for him to get injured. The Cosmos then brought in

Shep Messing Shep Norman Messing (born October 9, 1949) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper and current broadcaster who works as the lead analyst for New York Red Bulls matches on the MSG Network. In 2021 he took the position of chairman of the Major Arena ...

to replace him in goal and shipped Rigby to the

Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs was an American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California that existed from 1974 to 1981. The Aztecs competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 to 1981 as well as the 1975 NASL Indoor tour ...

at the end of the season. After three seasons in Los Angeles, Rigby returned to Philadelphia to play for the Fury. The Fury actually acquired Rigby from the

Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...

who got Rigby from the Aztecs the day prior. The Fury attempted to build on the Atoms' popularity by bringing back several fan favorites, but the team only lasted two seasons due to incompetent management. As Rigby was moving back to Philadelphia, the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) was beginning its first season. The next year, the local MISL club, Philadelphia Fever, which had used a largely amateur team its first season, negotiated an associate relationship with the Fury to use several Fury players in its second season. As a result, the Fury loaned Rigby to the Philadelphia Fever for the 1979–1980 Major Indoor Soccer League season. In 1981, Rigby moved to the Montreal Manic for two seasons before moving to the

Golden Bay Earthquakes Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

for the 1982–1983 MISL season. He remained with the Earthquakes for the 1983 and 1984 NASL outdoor season. When the NASL folded after the 1984 season, Rigby was signed by the

Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from 1 ...

on September 19, 1984, for a 15-day contract. The Sting released him at the end of the fifteen days and the Tacoma Stars offered him a contract. Rigby declined the offer to concentrate on his landscaping business. In February 1985, he signed with the Stars after they again offered him a contract. He spent most of the season as a backup to

John Baretta John Baretta (born May 6, 1955) is a Canadian retired soccer goalkeeper who played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Soccer League. Baretta attended Eastern Illinois University where he was a 1978 ...

. At the conclusion of the season, Rigby moved back to the Earthquakes, renamed the San Jose Earthquakes. In 1985, the Earthquakes joined with three independent west coast teams to play the

Western Alliance Challenge Series Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alli ...

. This was the genesis of the short-lived Western Soccer Alliance/League. Rigby shared the goal with Hunter Stern during this challenge series and retired from playing at the end of it. Rigby was named to two NASL Second All-Star teams, in 1973 and 1974.

National and Olympic teams

The mid-1970s also saw Rigby play for both the U.S. Olympic and U.S. national teams. While Rigby travelled with the U.S. team to the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

, he did not play.

Mike Ivanow Mike Ivanow (born January 9, 1948 in Shanghai, China) is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper who was born in Shanghai, China. He spent eight seasons in the North American Soccer League and was a member of the U.S. soccer team at the 1972 Summer Olym ...

played the first two games and

the third. On November 3, 1973, Rigby earned his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

with the national team in a 1-0 loss to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. He played a total of six games, his last coming in a loss to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

on August 24, 1975.USA – Details of International Matches 1970–1979

Coach

During his stint with the San Jose Earthquakes in 1985, Rigby coached the Los Gatos High School boys varsity team. After his retirement, Rigby became the head coach of the

Folsom, Pennsylvania Folsom is a census-designated place (CDP) in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Ridley Township. The population was 8,323 at the 2010 census. Geography Folsom is located in northern Ridley Township at (39.891978, -75.3 ...

. He remains active as a coach, recently as part of the Star Soccer Academy.

Broadcaster

Rigby served as color commentator for the

during the 2012 season.

References

External links

East Stroudsburg University Soccer Records

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigby, Bob 1951 births Living people All-American men's college soccer players American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Soccer players from Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg Warriors men's soccer players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Philadelphia Atoms players New York Cosmos players Los Angeles Aztecs players Philadelphia Fury (1978–1980) players Montreal Manic players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players Western Soccer Alliance players Association football goalkeepers Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Philadelphia Fever (MISL) players Tacoma Stars players Golden Bay Earthquakes (MISL) players Olympic soccer players of the United States Footballers at the 1972 Summer Olympics United States men's international soccer players Expatriate soccer players in Canada American expatriate sportspeople in Canada Ridley High School alumni