Doug Miller (born May 5, 1969) is an American youth soccer coach and retired
soccer player. He spent one season in
Major Indoor Soccer League and nine in the
National Professional Soccer League as a
forward, winning two championships and leading the league in scoring in 1998–99. Miller also played ten seasons of outdoor soccer in the
USISL
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
and
A-League. He was the 1996 and 1997 USISL A-League leading scorer and 1997 league MVP. He also won one
U.S. Open Cup.
In 2011, he became the first player signed to the new
Rochester Lancers indoor team and was named the first team captain in the club's history.
Youth and college
Miller was born in the
Succasunna section of
Roxbury Township, New Jersey
Roxbury is a Township (New Jersey), township in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 23,324, reflecting a decline of 559 (−2.3%) from the 23,88 ...
. He began playing soccer at the Roxbury Recreation Soccer League when he was five, graduating to the Roxbury Travelling Team when he turned eight. He played for his high school team, coming to the attention of
Loyola College in Maryland
Loyola University Maryland is a private Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is the ninth-oldest Jesuit college in the U ...
which offered him a full athletic scholarship. Miller spent four seasons (1987–1990) with the Greyhounds, serving as team captain his junior and senior seasons. While he finished his collegiate career in 1990, he did not complete his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in communications and public relations until 1993.
Professional
In 1991, the
Kansas City Comets of
Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) selected Miller with the first pick in the MISL draft. However, the team folded before the start of the season and Miller moved to the
Baltimore Blast
The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League.
The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with ...
in October 1991. In the summer of 1992, MISL and the Blast both collapsed and Miller moved to the
Harrisburg Heat of the
National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in September 1992. In March 1994, the Heat traded Miller to the
Cleveland Crunch
The Cleveland Crunch are an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio competing in as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The rebranded Crunch returned to indoor play as a member of the MASL 2 i ...
. He remained with the Crunch through the end of the 1995–96 season, winning the NPSL championship with them in 1994 and 1996. In 1994, Miller also played outdoors with the
New York Fever in the
USISL
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
. In 1996, the expansion
Rochester Raging Rhinos
Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States.
Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos to ...
of the
A-League signed Miller. In their first season, Miller and his teammates went to both the league and
U.S. Open Cup finals, losing both. After not scoring in the first twelve games of the season, Miller finished with eighteen goals to lead the league. He finished second in points, but garnered first team All Star recognition. That fall, Miller signed with the
Buffalo Blizzard
The Buffalo Blizzard was a soccer club that existed from 1992 to 2001 in Buffalo, New York.
History
The team was originally owned by the Knox brothers who owned the Buffalo Sabres at the time, and additionally by the Riches who owned the minor l ...
of the NPSL. He would alternate between the outdoor Rhinos and the indoor Blizzard for the next several years. He led the team in scoring during the 1996–1997 season which led to a four-year guaranteed contract with the Blizzard. In 1997, the A-League merged with the USISL to form the USISL A-League. That year, Miller led the league in both goals and points, earning first team All Star and league MVP honors. However, Miller injured his knee at the end of the season which continued to negatively impact him through the 1997-1998 indoor season and into the 1998 outdoor season. By the fall of 1998, he was fully fit and Miller led the NPSL in scoring with 102 goals, earning first team All Star recognition. In 1999, the Rhinos went to the A-League championship, but lost. However, they won the U.S. Open Cup with Miller taking MVP honors. Following the victory, the Rhinos released Miller. He continued to play with the Blizzard until the team folded in 2001. In the summer 2001, he joined the
Hershey Wildcats
Hershey Wildcats were a professional soccer team, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, that played in the USL A-League between 1997 and 2001. The team was owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. The team played in Hersheypa ...
of the A-League. The Wildcats went to the league championship, but lost to the Rhinos. They promptly folded. In December 2002, Miller rejoined the Rhinos. He played four seasons with the Rhinos before retiring in the fall of 2006. In 2003, he was again a first team All Star as he was second in the league in scoring. In 2011, Miller came out of retirement to sign with the
Rochester Lancers.
Miller once again came out of retirement in 2020 to play for the Rochester Lancers, scoring 3 goals in 2 games. In doing so, he became the first American soccer player to play in four different decades.
Coaching
In 1993, Miller became the Director of Soccer at Team USA Pro-Soccer Camp, a summer youth soccer camp. He also served as the Director of player development for the Greece Buccaneers. Miller currently owns and operates the Doug Miller Rochester Rhinos Academy in Rochester, New York. In 2009, Miller acquired the rights to the women's
USL W-League
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...
soccer franchise in Rochester NY, starting the
Rochester Ravens FC.
Ravens Return to Rochester
In August 2014, he was named head coach of Rochester Lancers indoor soccer team.
References
External links
Doug Miller career overview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Doug
1969 births
Living people
American Professional Soccer League players
American soccer coaches
American soccer players
Baltimore Blast (1980–1992) players
Buffalo Blizzard players
Cleveland Crunch players
Harrisburg Heat players
Hershey Wildcats players
Loyola Greyhounds men's soccer players
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players
Major Arena Soccer League players
New York Fever players
People from Roxbury, New Jersey
Rochester New York FC players
USISL players
Soccer players from New Jersey
Sportspeople from Morris County, New Jersey
Men's association football forwards