David Grimaldi (born December 19, 1954) is a retired American professional

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 ...

defender who spent three 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 and at least one in the American Soccer League. He later served as Deputy Commissioner of MISL and the Commissioner of the

National Indoor Soccer League The National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) is an indoor soccer league that began play in 2021 and is based in the Southeast United States. The league fields men's and women's divisions. On March 24, 2021, the league announced its partnership with N ...

which later became the Major Indoor Soccer League. Grimaldi attended John F. Kennedy High School in

Willingboro Township, New Jersey Willingboro Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a suburb of Philadelphia and part of the state's South Jersey region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,889, an increase of ...

before entering

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

. He was a four-year soccer player at Rutgers and team captain his junior and senior seasons during which time he was selected as a reserve pool player for the US Olympic Soccer team. In 1977, Grimaldi became the 1st Rutgers soccer player drafted into the professional ranks by Coach Al Miller of the

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. ...

who selected him in the first round (fourth overall) of the

college draft. After seeing no first team time during his rookie season with the exception of two international matches against Zenith Leningrad and Monterrey, the Tornado traded Grimaldi to the

Memphis Rogues The Memphis Rogues were a professional soccer team in the former North American Soccer League. They operated in the 1978, 1979, and 1980 seasons and played their home games in Memphis' Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. They also played indoor s ...

where he played sparingly over two seasons due to multiple knee injuries/surgeries In 1979, Grimaldi moved to indoor soccer with the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He spent three seasons with the Force serving as co-captain and captain. In 1981, he returned to outdoor soccer briefly with the

Cleveland Cobras The Cleveland Stars were an American soccer club based in Cleveland, Ohio and a member of the American Soccer League in 1972–73. Before the 1974 season, the name was changed to the Cleveland Cobras. Overview The Stars' colors were blue and ...

of the American Soccer League before retiring in 1982 following his third knee surgery. In 1990 Grimaldi was honored with the retirement of his Rutgers soccer jersey and later named to the Rutgers All Legacy Team. Grimaldi then entered the business world. Over the years, he worked in various management positions for People Express Airlines,

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...

and 10 years with

FedEx FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...

. He later became Deputy Commissioner of the

MISL The Misls (derived from an Arabic word wikt:مثل#Etymology_3, مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian ...

. In 2009, he was appointed Commissioner of the

. which later was renamed the MISL, He is now General Manager and Managing Partner of the Harrisburg Heat in the

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimaldi, David 1954 births Living people American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Cleveland Cobras players Cleveland Force (original MISL) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Memphis Rogues players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's soccer players Dallas Tornado players Men's association football defenders Sportspeople from Willingboro Township, New Jersey Willingboro High School alumni