Ninoslav "Nino" Zec (, born 7 July 1949) is a retired
Yugoslav professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
or
striker.
Career
Born in
Miloševo,
SR Serbia
, life_span = 1944–1992
, status = Constituent state of Yugoslavia
, p1 = Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia
, flag_p1 = Flag of German Reich (1935–1945).svg
, p2 ...
, Zec began his professional career in 1968 with
OFK Beograd
OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburm ...
. In 1978, Zec moved to the United States to play in the
NASL, signing with the
Tulsa Roughnecks. He moved to the
Atlanta Chiefs in 1979 and was traded to the
Houston Hurricane
The Houston Hurricane was a soccer team based out of Houston that played in the NASL. They played from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was the Astrodome. Their colors were orange, white and red.
History
The team was the last of six expansion t ...
during the season. In 1980, the league terminated the Houston franchise and in December 1980 the
Jacksonville Tea Men
The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, ...
signed Zec. In 1983, the Tea Men moved to the
American Soccer League. Zec spent the 1983 season with the Tea Men in the ASL. When the ASL collapsed at the end of the season, Zec and his teammates moved to the
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 ...
. He also played six games for the
Pittsburgh Spirit during the 1979–1980
Major Indoor Soccer League season. He played another three games for the
Tulsa Roughnecks during the 1983–1984 NASL indoor season.
He currently lives in Florida where he owns a flooring business. His father in law was one of the most famous Yugoslavian strikers
Stjepan Bobek. Zec was the first player ever to receive a yellow card in Yugoslavian football after the booking rule was introduced.
Sportski spomenar – Ninoslav Zec, radio interview at RTS
/ref>
References
External links
1949 births
Living people
American Soccer League (1933–1983) players
Atlanta Chiefs players
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Yugoslav expatriates in the United States
Yugoslav men's footballers
Houston Hurricane players
Jacksonville Tea Men players
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
OFK Beograd players
Pittsburgh Spirit players
Serbian men's footballers
Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players
United Soccer League (1984–85) players
Men's association football midfielders
Men's association football forwards
Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers
Sportspeople from Jagodina
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