Norman Piper (born 8 January 1948) is an English former professional footballer who played in England for 13 years before finishing his career in the United States.

Playing career

Born in

North Tawton North Tawton is a small town in Devon, England, situated on the river Taw. It is administered by West Devon Council. The population of the electoral ward at the census 2011 was 2,026. History Romans crossed the River Taw at what is now Newla ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

on 8 January 1948 he joined

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

as an apprentice and signed professional terms in February 1965. Already an England Youth international, Piper made his debut for the Under 23 side in 1970 against Bulgaria, the year he left The Pilgrims- for whom he scored 35 goals in 221 appearances. That summer Piper had signed for

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, becoming their record signing at £50,000. Piper served ''Pompey'' with great distinction during the clubs increasingly tenuous hold on Division Two status, but eventually lost form after relegation to the third. He was dropped in February 1978, being replaced by his namesake Steve Piper. His contract, along with that of

Bobby Stokes Robert William Thomas Stokes (30 January 1951 – 30 May 1995) was an English footballer, best known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the FA Cup Final for Southampton against Manchester United in 1976. Early career Stokes w ...

was terminated the following month. Soon after his departure from Portsmouth, a move to the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

followed. In 1979, Piper was the first player signed by the expansion

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

of Major Indoor Soccer League. He played for the Wings until 1982 when he was sent to the Pittsburgh Spirit.

Coaching career

Following his retirement from playing, he became and assistant coach with the Wichita Wings. He was fired on 30 January 1988. In 1989, he was hired to coach the

Wichita Blue Wichita Blue, known in 1994 as Wichita Blue Angels, was an American soccer club based in Wichita, Kansas. The Blue played in several leagues including the Heartland Soccer League, Lone Star Soccer Alliance and the USISL. History In 1988, the Blue ...

in the Heartland Soccer League. In 1990, the Blue moved to the

Lone Star Soccer Alliance Lone Star Soccer Alliance was a soccer league that existed from 1987 to 1992. While most of the teams came from Texas, some also came from Oklahoma and Kansas. History First proposed by the Houston Dynamos, on April 18, 1987, the Lone Star So ...

. He was fired mid-season. He coached the men's soccer team at

Bethel College (Kansas) Bethel College is a private Christian college in North Newton, Kansas. It is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. History Bethel College, founded in 1887, is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel College became the second inst ...

from 1988 to 1990. He now is a coach for a small travel soccer team in Southern California known as TVSA Hawks

Style of play

Piper was one of that generation who bridged the gap between terminological eras, beginning his career as a

wing half 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 ...

and ending it as a midfielder despite playing a similar role throughout.Only at the very end of his career was he tried as a full back: "The News", 14 November 1977, article by Mike Neasom ''Dickinson rings the changes for Vale''

References

External links

Talents unearthed by Argyle's scouts

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piper, Norman 1948 births American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Columbus Magic players England under-23 international footballers English footballers English expatriate footballers Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players Lone Star Soccer Alliance coaches Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players People from the Borough of West Devon Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Yeovil Town F.C. players Pittsburgh Spirit players Living people Wichita Wings (MISL) players England youth international footballers Association football midfielders English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States English football managers Lusitano F.C. (South Africa) players