James Swanner (born January 13, 1961, in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
) is a retired U.S.
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 ...
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
and current soccer coach. He was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic soccer team and earned one
cap with the
U.S. national team in 1984. He spent his entire professional career playing
indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...
.
Playing career
High school and college
Swanner attended Southwest High School in St. Louis. After graduating from high school, Swanner attended
Clemson University, where he played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
on the men's soccer team. In 1983, his senior season, he earned
first-team All-American honors and was named the
ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year The ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year was an annual award created by the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America (ISAA) to recognize the best U.S. college soccer goalkeeper. The ISAA began naming an annual men's Goalkeeper of the Year in 1983. In ...
. He also lettered in baseball at Clemson in 1983.
National and Olympic teams
Swanner represented the U.S. at the
1983 Pan American Games
The 1983 Pan American Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to include relatively accurate steroid testing.Taylor, William N., ''Anabolic Steroids and the ...
, playing in a 1–2 first round loss to Chile and joined the
U.S. Olympic soccer team as it prepared for the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
. Swanner earned his only
cap with the
U.S. national team when he came on for
Winston DuBose
Winston DuBose is an American former soccer goalkeeper who spent eight seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in the American Professional Soccer League and one in the American Indoor Soccer Association. He also earned fourteen caps w ...
in a December 2 tie with
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
.
Professional
When Swanner expressed his intentions to enter the pros, the
Canton Invaders The Canton Invaders was an indoor soccer club based in Canton, Ohio that competed in the National Professional Soccer League.
After the 1995–96 season, the team relocated and became the Columbus Invaders.
History
The Canton Invaders were a p ...
of the
American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) drafted him in the first round. Swanner immediately became a prominent indoor goalkeeper, winning Rookie of the Year for the 1985–86 season. Swanner would be named the AISA Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons. He was also named to the All AISA team in 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992. He was also the league MVP for 1989–90 and 1991–92. While playing with the Invaders, the AISA was renamed as the
National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1990. During his seven seasons with the Invaders, the team won four championships.
Despite Swanner's amazing success with the Invaders, he left the team at the end of the 1991–1992 season to join the
Buffalo Blizzard of the NPSL. Swanner failed to achieve the same level of success with the Blizzard as he had with the Invaders. However, he remained with the Blizzard for only two seasons before moving to the
St. Louis Ambush in 1994 for the next six seasons. The move to St. Louis saw a resurgence for Swanner as he was named All NPSL in 1995 and was the NPSL Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1994–95 season. Swanner won yet another championship as the Ambush swept the
Harrisburg Heat four games to none in the NPSL championship series. In 1999, Swanner replaced
Daryl Doran
Daryl Doran (born March 29, 1963) is a U.S. indoor soccer player. His 827 games are the most of any player in American professional indoor soccer history. Doran previously coached the St. Louis Ambush in the Major Arena Soccer League from 2013â ...
as the head coach of the Ambush. While he had not intended to continue playing, he was forced into that role when the team's goalkeeper was injured. The Ambush folded at the end of the 1999–2000 season and Swanner moved to the
Kansas City Attack to play as a goalkeeper, but saw little playing time and retired at the end of the season. When Swanner finished his time in professional soccer, he topped the AISA/NPSL career list with 296 wins & 10 shutouts. Other notable career stats: scored 9 goals and 98 assists (as a Goalkeeper)
In November 2008, Swanner came out of retirement when he installed himself as a goalkeeper on the
St. Louis Illusion
The St. Louis Illusion were an American indoor soccer, arena soccer team founded in 2008. The team disbanded in 2010.
The team was a charter member of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro), the first division of arena (indoor) soccer i ...
of 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 ...
. Swanner is the owner of the Illusion.
Coaching
While Swanner had spent a year as a professional coach with the Ambush in the 1999–2000 season, that was not his first coaching experience. He was the head coach of Central Catholic High School in Canton, Ohio from 1988-92. In 1997, he became an assistant coach with both the Duchesne High School and Lewis and Clark Community College teams.
Swanner was the co-owner of The Game, an indoor soccer arena in
Glen Carbon, Illinois
Glen Carbon is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States, northeast of St. Louis. The population was 13,842 at the 2020 census.
History
In 1801, Colonel Samuel Judy received a military grant for of land near the base of the bluffs, ...
.
Swanner owns 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 ...
St. Louis Illusion
The St. Louis Illusion were an American indoor soccer, arena soccer team founded in 2008. The team disbanded in 2010.
The team was a charter member of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro), the first division of arena (indoor) soccer i ...
who played their games at
The Game Arena
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
in Glen Carbon, Illinois.
References
External links
Lewis and Clark Community College press release on SwannerNPSL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swanner, Jamie
1961 births
Living people
All-American college men's soccer players
American soccer chairmen and investors
American soccer coaches
American men's soccer players
Buffalo Blizzard players
Canton Invaders players
Clemson Tigers men's soccer players
Footballers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Kansas City Attack players
National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches
National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players
Pan American Games competitors for the United States
Footballers at the 1983 Pan American Games
Olympic soccer players for the United States
Soccer players from St. Louis
St. Louis Ambush (1992–2000) players
United States men's international soccer players
Men's association football goalkeepers
St. Louis Ambush (1992–2000) coaches