John “Duke” or “Jukey” Nanoski (June 23, 1918 – August 14, 2011) was a former 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 ...

center forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...

who spent most of his career in the American Soccer League. He led the league in scoring twice. He was one of only two players inducted into the

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 and currently located in Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The Hall of Fame honors soccer achievements in the United States. Induction ...

in 1993, the other being

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...

Youth

Nanoski grew up in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where he attended Stetson High School. While growing up he played for several youth clubs, the Philadelphia Athletic Club, Westmoreland S.C., and Lehigh S.C. When he was sixteen he joined a lower division amateur city team by the name of the Kensington Quoit Club. Over two season, the team rose through the third, then second division. That led to Nanoski turning professional in 1937.

Professional

In 1937, Nanoski joined the Kensington Blue Bells in the Pennsylvania League. He scored 54 goals as the Blue Bells won the 1938 league title. That brought him to the attention of the professionals which led to his signing with

Brooklyn St. Mary's Celtic Brooklyn Celtic was a name used by at least two U.S. association football, soccer teams. The first was an early twentieth century amateur team which was formed in August 1910 and dominated the New York Amateur Association Football League from 1912 ...

of the American Soccer League. Brooklyn finished second in the league that season, but won the 1939

National Challenge Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

5-1 on aggregate in the two game series over Chicago's

Bricklayers and Masons F.C. Bricklayers and Masons F.C., also known as Chicago Bricklayers, was a U.S. soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois which joined that city's Association Football League in 1914. Over the next twenty years, Bricklayers won two Peel Cups and was the ...

Nanoski scored three of Brooklyn’s goals, including the game winner in the 1-0 away victory in Chicago. Nanoski led the league in scoring with twenty goals in the 1941-1942 season. However, Brooklyn could not capitalize on his production and finished at the bottom of the standings. The team folded following the season and Nanoski moved to the Philadelphia Americans. He again led the league in scoring during the 1944-1945 season. He played with the Americans through the 1947-1948 season, winning the league title in 1944, 1947 and 1948. In 1948, he joined the Brooklyn Wanderers, but the team folded one game into the season. According to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Nanoski played with the

Trenton Highlanders The Trenton Highlanders were an American soccer club based in Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to Dec ...

at some point in his career. The Highlanders spent the 1938-1939 season in the ASL, and existed as an amateur club before that. Nanoski was inducted into the

in 1993.

References

External links

National Soccer Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanoski, John 1918 births 2011 deaths Soccer players from Philadelphia American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Brooklyn St. Mary's Celtic players Uhrik Truckers players National Soccer Hall of Fame members Men's association football forwards