Daniel J. Payne was an American
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
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 ...
who spent six seasons in the
American Soccer League and one 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 ...
.
Youth
Payne grew up in
Livermore, California
Livermore (formerly Livermorès, Livermore Ranch, and Nottingham) is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of Californ ...
. He attended
Livermore High School
Founded in 1891, Livermore Union High School is a public high school located in the city of Livermore, California, United States. It is part of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. In 2007, it was chosen as one in four schools i ...
where he was a four year varsity soccer player. He then attended
Chico State University
California State University, Chico, or commonly, Chico State, is a public university in Chico, California. Founded in 1887, it is the second oldest campus in the California State University system. As of the fall 2020 semester, the university had ...
where he was a 1978 Honorable Mention (third team) All American soccer player. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1982. Payne was inducted into the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
Professional
In 1979, the
Sacramento Gold of the
American Soccer League drafted Payne and he signed with the Gold on March 29, 1979. That season, the Gold won the league championship. The
Oakland Stompers
The Oakland Stompers were a soccer team based out of Oakland, California that played the 1978 season in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Stompers played in the Western Division of the American Conference and finished the year with ...
of 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 ...
drafted Payne, but he never played for their first team. Instead, in 1981, he played nine games with the
Atlanta Chiefs. The Chiefs folded at the end of the season and in 1982, Payne moved to the
Georgia Generals
Georgia Generals were a professional soccer team in the United States. They played for one season (1982) in the ASL. They were formed when the Cleveland Cobras franchise moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Their owner was Walt Russell. They played their ...
of the ASL. He finished his career with the
Carolina Lightnin'
The Carolina Lightnin' was an American soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina that was a member of the American Soccer League. The Lightnin' played home matches at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Attendance at home games averaged 6,000 ...
. After his retirement, he moved to
Pleasanton, California
Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 79,871 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. In 200 ...
where he founded an accounting firm.
He died of cancer on June 10, 2005.
Valley Soccer Legend Dies at 48
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References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Danny
1957 births
2005 deaths
American soccer players
American Soccer League (1933–1983) players
Atlanta Chiefs players
Carolina Lightnin' players
Georgia Generals players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
Sacramento Gold (1976–1980) players
People from Livermore, California
Association football midfielders