John Dolinsky is a retired German-American soccer player who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League,

United Soccer League 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

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

. He also coached in the

where he was the 1989 Coach of the Year.

Player

College

Born in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, Dolinsky grew up in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He attended

Lewis University Lewis University is a private Roman Catholic and Lasallian university in Romeoville, Illinois, United States. The enrollment is currently around 6,800 students. Lewis offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, 22 graduate pr ...

where from 1972 to 1975 he was a four year starter on the men's soccer team. He was a 1973 and 1974 Honorable Mention (third team) All American. He finished his collegiate career with 51 goals and 32 assists. Lewis University inducted Dolinsky into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985. He did not complete his degree before turning professional and returned to school in 1991.

Professional

In 1976, Dolinsky began his professional career with the

Chicago Cats The Chicago Cats was an American soccer club based in Chicago, Illinois that was a member of the American Soccer League. They played their home games at Hanson Stadium in Chicago's Belmont-Cragin community. Year-by-year Note: The 1976 Chicago Cat ...

of the American Soccer League. In 1978, he played for the Indianapolis Daredevils, also of the ASL. That fall, he began his indoor career with the Pittsburgh Spirit of Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1980, the Spirit traded Dolinsky to the Buffalo Stallions. He began the 1981–1982 season with the Stallions, but was traded to the Kansas City Comets during the season. The Comets released him at the end of the season. In 1981, he played for the Rochester Flash of the American Soccer League. He was a first team All Star that season. In 1982, he moved to the

Oklahoma City Slickers The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983, and as the Oklahoma City Stampede in the United Soccer Le ...

. In April 1983, he signed with the

Dallas Americans Dallas Americans was an American soccer club based in Dallas, Texas that was a member of the American Soccer League. After the ASL folded, the club joined the newly formed United Soccer League, which itself lasted two seasons. It is also the name ...

. He continued to play for the Americans in 1984 when they played in the

. In the fall of 1984, he signed with the Canton Invaders of the

. He played two seasons with the Invaders, winning the 1985 and 1986 titles before moving to the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...

in 1986. He returned to outdoor soccer in the summer of 1985 as a player/coach with the

Tulsa Tornados The Tulsa Tornados were a professional soccer team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played for one season (1985) in the USL. The 1985 season only lasted six games as the league folded halfway through. Established by David Fraser during the spring of 19 ...

of the USL. After the USL collapsed six games into the season, Dolinsky moved to Chicago where he played for Chicago Schwaben. He signed with the

in 1986 and played two seasons before retiring as a player.

Coach

In January 1987, the Milwaukee Wave elevated Dolinsky to the position of player/coach. He coached the Wave through the 1989–1990 season. He was the 1989 AISA Coach of the Year. The Wave fired Dolinsky in June 1990. In February 1991, the

Dayton Dynamo The Dayton Dynamo was a professional indoor soccer team from Dayton, Ohio. The team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). Founded by former University of Dayton and Central State University coach Jerry Butcher, the Dynamo jo ...

hired Dolinsky to coach the team for the remainder of the season. In the fall of 1991, he left the Dynamo to return to school, but came back in January 1992 to coach the team. He resigned a month later. In 1995, he became an assistant coach with the

Chicago Power The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer club based in Chicago, Illinois that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League. After the 1995–96 season, the team was sold to Peter Pocklington, moved ...

. In 2004, he briefly coached the

Indiana Blast Indiana Blast was an American soccer team, founded in 1996. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues, played in the USISL and A-League (1997–2004) until folding at the end of the 2004 season. The Blast played their home games at Kun ...

of the fourth division Premier Development League. Dolinsky currently serves as a Staff Coach for the Chicago Fire Academy.

Yearly Awards

*ASL All-Star Team: 1981 *AISA Coach of the Year: 1989

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolinsky, John 1954 births American Indoor Soccer Association coaches American Indoor Soccer Association players American soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Buffalo Stallions players Canton Invaders players Chicago Cats players Chicago Schwaben players Dallas Americans players German emigrants to the United States Indianapolis Daredevils players Kansas City Comets (original MISL) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Milwaukee Wave players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches Oklahoma City Slickers (ASL) players Pittsburgh Spirit players Rochester Flash players Tulsa Tornados players United Soccer League (1984–85) coaches United Soccer League (1984–85) players Living people Chicago Fire FC non-playing staff Association football defenders Association football midfielders Soccer players from Chicago Sportspeople from Chicago American soccer coaches USL League Two coaches Lewis Flyers athletes Player-coaches