John Anthony Reder (September 24, 1909 – April 12, 1990) was a

Polish-American Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.83% ...

sportsman who, during the 1930s, played

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 ...

with

Fall River F.C. Fall River Football Club, also referred to as Fall River Field Club, was the name used by two United States soccer clubs, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. Both played in the American Soccer League during the early 1930s. The name is often used ...

and the

New Bedford Whalers New Bedford Whalers was the name of three American soccer teams based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The first Whalers played in the Southern New England Soccer League between 1914 and 1918. The second Whalers played in the American Soccer League ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. In soccer, 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 ...

and won three American Soccer League titles and two

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 ...

titles. In baseball, he played as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the

, and was voted

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

while playing for the

Williamsport Grays The Williamsport Grays were a minor league baseball team in Williamsport, Pennsylvania between 1923 and 1962. The club began play in 1923 in the New York–Pennsylvania League and were a charter member of the Eastern League in 1938. The team was ...

. Together with

Moe Drabowsky Myron Walter Drabowsky (July 21, 1935 – June 10, 2006) was an American professional baseball pitcher, best-remembered for throwing scoreless innings of relief to win Game 1 of the 1966 World Series. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...

, Nap Kloza and Henry Peploski, Reder is one of only four

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

players to be born in Poland.

Soccer career

Early years

Born in

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

, Poland, Reder emigrated to the United States with his family as a youth and settled in

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

. Reder initially played as a goalkeeper for several local Fall River amateur teams, including Champion Niagara and Walsh Chevrolet. He helped the latter team reach the quarter-finals of the

1929 National Challenge Cup Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

where they eventually lost 5–1 to

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

. Despite letting in five goals, Reder was noted for his performance.

Fall River F.C.

As a result of his exploits with Walsh Chevrolet, Reder signed with

in 1929. Together with a team that included Billy Gonsalves,

Bert Patenaude Bertrand "Bert" Arthur Patenaude (; November 4, 1909November 4, 1974) was an American soccer player who played as a forward. Although it was formerly disputed, he is now officially credited by FIFA as scorer of the first hat-trick in the World Cu ...

Werner Nilsen Werner "Scotty" Nilsen (February 4, 1904 in Skien, Norway – May 10, 1992 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former Norwegian American soccer forward. He is one of the highest scoring players in U.S. soccer history, scoring 131 goals in 239 games ...

and

Alex McNab Alexander McNab (27 December 1894 – 3 April 1960) was a Scottish-American soccer player and coach. He began his career in Scotland before moving to the United States. In the US, he won six consecutive National Challenge Cups with teams from b ...

, Reder helped the 'Marksmen' win American Soccer League titles in both the

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

and

fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

seasons. He also helped them win the

in both

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

and

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

. U.S. Open Cup at www.rsssf.com
In the 1930 final, the 'Marksmen' defeated Cleveland Bruell Insurance 9–3 on aggregate in a two-leg final and Reder kept goal in both games. On May 30, 1930 he also played for the 'Marksmen' in a 3–2 defeat against a touring Rangers. In 1931 when

Sam Mark Sam Mark (born Markelevitch in Fall River, Massachusetts) is a former United States soccer club owner. During the 1920s and early 1930s he was the owner of Fall River Marksmen, one of the era's most successful teams. Mark's continued to own the tea ...

relocated and merged the 'Marksmen' franchise twice, Reder followed the team on both occasions. They first moved to New York City, where they merged with

New York Soccer Club New York Soccer Club ( Youth Soccer Team ) was the name of a New York soccer team that, in 1930, played briefly in the American Soccer League. In 1923, New York fur merchant Maurice Vandeweghe - the father and grandfather of later basketball stars ...

and became the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. However, before the merger was finalized, the 'Marksmen' had entered the

. After the move, the new club was unable to re-register for the competition, so they continued to play in the Challenge Cup as ''Fall River F.C.''. Reder played in all three games when they beat the Chicago Bricklayers in a final played as a three-game series. At the same time they competed in the

Spring 1931 American Soccer League Statistics of American Soccer League in season 1931. Overview At the start of this season the American Soccer League was in decline, suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Clubs had begun to fold, merge and disappear. The eventua ...

season as the ''New York Yankees'', finishing in third place. In the summer of 1931, Reder also played for a Yankees team featuring Billy Gonsalves,

and

George Moorhouse George Moorhouse (April 4, 1901 – October 12, 1943) was the first native of England to appear in a FIFA World Cup (albeit as a member of the U.S. team rather than for England). He spent most of his playing career in the United States and ear ...

that twice played

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

in friendlies. On May 30 at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

the Yankees won 4–3. However, on June 28 at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

, Celtic won the second game 4–1. For the Fall 1931 season the Yankees moved to

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

where they merged with

to become the

. While playing for the Whalers, Reder won a third ASL title.

Baseball

Before embarking on a career as a soccer goalkeeper, Reder had played as a first baseman for his high school baseball team. With the decline of the American Soccer League, he then switched back to baseball and in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

played 17 games for the

. After making his debut on April 16, he played ten games at first base, one at third, and six as a pinch-hitter. He had a record of 5 hits, 4 runs, 1 double, 3 RBI, 6 walks and 6 strikeouts and played his last game for the Red Sox on June 12. Reder subsequently played for the

Hazleton Mountaineers The Hazleton Mountaineers were one of the original six franchises in the Eastern Professional Basketball League. The Mountaineers were the league's first team to have an integrated roster, as two former members of the New York Rens, Bill Brown ...

Reading Red Sox The Reading Red Sox were a minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise. History The team was based in Reading, Pennsylvania, and played in the Class A New York–Pennsylvania League (1933–1934) and its successor le ...

, and

in the

and for the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

before ending his baseball career at the age of 28. In 1935, while playing for the Grays, he was voted

in the New York–Penn League.

Later years

Reder subsequently worked as an engineer and served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during World War II, before returning to

where he died in 1990 from arteriosclerotic heart disease. He was buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Fall River.

Honors

;Soccer Fall River F.C. * American Soccer League **''Winners'' (2): Spring 1930, Fall 1930 *

**''Winners'' (2):

New Bedford Whalers * American Soccer League **''Winners'' (1): Fall 1931 ;Baseball Williamsport Grays *

**''

'' (1935)

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reder, Johnny 1909 births 1990 deaths Boston Red Sox players Hazleton Mountaineers players Reading Red Sox players Williamsport Grays players Syracuse Chiefs players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from Poland Sportspeople from Fall River, Massachusetts American people of Polish descent Polish footballers American soccer players American Soccer League (1921–1933) players Fall River F.C. (1922–1931) players New York Yankees (soccer) players New Bedford Whalers players United States Navy personnel of World War II Sportspeople from Lublin People from Lublin Governorate Emigrants from Congress Poland to the United States Men's association football goalkeepers Polish baseball players