Robert Millar (May 12, 1890February 22, 1967) was a

Scottish American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, d ...

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 ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

and coach of the U.S. national team at the first FIFA World Cup, in 1930. During his at times tumultuous

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

career, Millar played with over a dozen teams in at least five U.S. leagues as well as two seasons in the

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...

. He finished his career as a successful professional and national team coach.

Playing

Professional

In 1909, Millar began his professional career with St Mirren of the

. He left St Mirren in 1911 to move to the United States, joining

Disston A.A. Philadelphia Tacony Disston Athletic Association Football Club, better known as Disston A.A. and nicknamed The Sawmakers was a U.S. soccer team sponsored by the Disston Saw Works company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The team played for several ye ...

during the 1912–1913 season. In 1913, he moved to the

Brooklyn Field Club Brooklyn Field Club was a soccer team based in Brooklyn, New York, that existed from 1898 to 1924. It is one of the few to predate the United States Soccer Federation, which was founded in 1913. Between 1909 and 1916 they played in the second Na ...

of the

National Association Football League The National Association Football League (also spelled ''National Association Foot Ball League'') (NAFBL) was a semi-professional U.S. soccer league which operated between 1895 and 1898. The league was reconstituted in 1906 and continued to oper ...

(NAFBL). In January 1914, Brooklyn played Disston in the quarterfinals of the 1914

American Cup The American Cup (also known as the American Football Association Cup and the American Federation Cup) was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1885. In the 1910s, it gradually dec ...

. During the game, Millar was involved in a fight with a Disston fan on the sidelines which resulted in a brawl between fans and players from both teams. Later that year, Brooklyn won the inaugural

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 ...

over Brooklyn Celtic, with Millar assisting on the winning goal. This victory made Brooklyn the first team to win what could become known as the U.S. Open Cup. In September 1914, Millar moved 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 ...

for the 1914–1915 Allied League of Philadelphia season. That season, he scored fifty-nine goals in thirty-three league and cup games, setting a U.S. record. The season culminated with Bethlehem winning the 1915 National Challenge Cup, 3–1 over Brooklyn Celtic. Millar scored Bethlehem's first goal.U.S. Open Cup at RSSSF
/ref> In early 1916, Millar signed with

Babcock & Wilcox Babcock & Wilcox is an American renewable, environmental and thermal energy technologies and service provider that is active and has operations in many international markets across the globe with its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, USA. Historicall ...

of the NAFBL, but played on loan to both

Philadelphia Hibernian Philadelphia Hibernian, also known as Hibernian F.C., was an early twentieth century U.S. soccer team which played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History According to Dave Litterer, “Philadelphia Hibernian was a perennial powerhouse in the Philad ...

and Allentown. In February 1916, Millar signed with

New York Clan MacDonald The New York Clan MacDonald were a Scottish American professional soccer club. They spent several seasons in both the National Association Football League and New York State Football Association. History In 1907, Clan MacDonald joined the Nationa ...

for New York State Cup games,

for league games and St. George F.C. of the New York State Association Football League. At some point, Millar may have played for a team in the

St. Louis Soccer League The St. Louis Soccer League was based in St. Louis, Missouri and existed from 1915 to 1938. At its founding, it was the only fully professional soccer league in the United States. The league was founded from two teams from the St. Louis Soccer F ...

as a December 27, 1918 newspaper article mentions his return from playing there. In December 1918, Millar rejoined Bethlehem Steel, but left seven months later to sign with Robins Dry Dock for the 1919–1920 season. However, he had significant disagreements with his teammates and left Robins some time in the spring of 1920 to join

J&P Coats J. & P. Coats was an American soccer club founded in 1900 as the team of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island branch of the J. & P. Coats threadmaking company of Paisley, Scotland (following a 1952 merger this firm became part of the Coats Group). The club ...

of the

Southern New England Soccer League The Southern New England Soccer League was a semi-professional soccer league based in New England which was established in 1914 and collapsed in 1921. During its short existence, it featured some of the top teams in the northeast United States. ...

. He then moved to Erie A.A. for the 1920–1921 season. In January 1921, he was suspended for two months after striking former Robins teammate Neil Clarke during the halftime of Erie's

loss to Robins. Since Millar was unable to play for the remainder of the NAFBL season, Erie loaned him to

Tebo Yacht Basin F.C. Tebo Yacht Basin was an amateur U.S. soccer team sponsored by the Tebo Yacht Basin company of Brooklyn, New York. It had a brief impact on the U.S. soccer scene from 1918 to 1921. In the fall of 1918, Tebo was drawn with Vikings in the first rou ...

In May, Millar met up with Robins when Tebo defeated Dry Dock in the New York State Cup. Ironically, Robins Dry Dock and Tebo Yacht Basin were both subsidiary companies of Todd Shipyards. Millar rejoined

for the first season, 1921–1922, of the recently established American Soccer League. In 1922, Millar left Coats and signed with the

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 ...

, but the team released him in January 1923, after he played only six games. He joined

New York Field Club New York F.C. (also known as the New York Field Club) was a name used by two early twentieth-century American soccer clubs. History Founded in 1916 as the New York Football Club, the team was originally a member of the semi-professional National ...

, for the remainder of the season, as well as the 1923–1924 season. However, he again did not complete the season with New York, but moved to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. In August 1925, Millar signed with

Indiana Flooring Indiana Flooring were a New York City soccer team that played in the American Soccer League between 1924 and 1927. They replaced New York Field Club. Before joining the ASL, the team had played in various state leagues. Ernest Viberg, a former ...

as a player and coach. In 1927,

Charles Stoneham Charles Abraham Stoneham (July 5, 1876 – January 6, 1936) was the owner of the New York Giants baseball team, New York Nationals soccer team, the center of numerous corruption scandals and the instigator of the "Soccer Wars" which destroyed ...

purchased Flooring and renamed the team the New York Nationals. Millar continue to coach and play for the Nationals until the onset of the 1928 Soccer Wars. In that internecine conflict, the

United States Football Association The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a ...

declared the American Soccer League an "outlaw league". In October 1928, Millar resigned from the Nationals, informing the team management, ""I hereby advise you that I must refuse to continue as playing manager of the New York Nationals Football Club. I hereby tender my resignation, because to engage further in unsanctioned soccer football will materially endanger my status in organized soccer and will thereby affect my future livelihood as a professional soccer player. You have not lived up to the terms of my contract, which call for me to play and manage under the rules and regulations of the United States Football Association, and by forcing me to engage in outlaw soccer, you are breaking my means of gaining a living. I am compelled to seek a position in organized football." He then jumped to the

who had been expelled from the ASL as part of the "Soccer War". The USFA then brokered the creation of the

Eastern Soccer League Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

as a home for ASL teams which wanted to regain their status as "official" FIFA teams. He remained with the Giants until they returned to the ASL in 1929.

National team

In 1925 Millar was called into the U.S. national team for two games with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Canada won the first game, 1–0, on June 27, 1925. The U.S. won the return game, 6–1, on November 11, 1925. This game was tied 1–1 at halftime, but Millar assisted on the second U.S. game, scored by

Archie Stark Archibald McPherson Stark (December 21, 1897 – May 27, 1985) was a U.S. soccer player who became the dominant player in U.S. leagues during the 1920s and early 1930s. He spent nine seasons in the National Association Football League and anoth ...

soon after halftime.

Coaching

Club

Millar began his coaching career when he was hired by

in 1925 as both a player and a coach. He remained with Flooring as coach through its 1927 name change to the New York Nationals, but resigned in October 1928 during the soccer wars. He later coached the

Newark Skeeters The Newark Skeeters was an American soccer club based in Newark, New Jersey and was a member of the American Soccer League and the Eastern Soccer League. History In December 1924, Tom Adam, former manager of West Hudson A.A., became the manage ...

in 1929.

National team

Millar was selected as the coach of the U.S. national team for the

1930 FIFA World Cup The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 to 30 July 1930. FIFA, football's international governing body, selected Uruguay as host nation ...

. The success of the national side at the first World Cup in finishing as semi-finalists came as a surprise, more so since they won both of their group matches (against

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

) without conceding a goal. In the semi-final they suffered considerable ill-luck, two players being injured during the game against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Following their elimination from the cup, the U.S. played a series of exhibition games against South American professional and regional All Star teams. Of those games, a 4–3 loss to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

was the only official international game. Millar finished his term as national team coach with a 2–2 record. Millar was inducted into the

U.S. 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 (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The Hall of Fame honors Association football, soccer ...

in 1950.

Personal life

Millar has a daughter, Mary Martin, who lives in

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

Honors

St Mirren * Paisley Charity Cup: 1910 *

Renfrewshire Cup The Renfrewshire Cup was an annual association football competition between teams in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The final was generally a Renfrewshire derby contested between the two largest team ...

: 1910 Tacony FC *

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

League:

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

Brooklyn Field *

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

Bethlehem Steel *

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

Robin Dry Dock *

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

New York Nationals (player / coach) *

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

United States (coach) *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

: Bronze-medal

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 ...

Individual *

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 ...

Sources

References

External links

National Soccer Hall of Fame profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Millar, Robert 1890 births 1930 FIFA World Cup managers 1967 deaths St Mirren F.C. players United States men's international soccer players United States men's national soccer team managers St. Louis Soccer League players National Association Football League players Disston A.A. players Philadelphia Hibernian players Brooklyn Field Club players Bethlehem Steel F.C. (1907–1930) players Babcock & Wilcox (soccer) players Brooklyn Robins Dry Dock players Harrison S.C. players Tebo Yacht Basin F.C. players American Soccer League (1921–1933) players Pawtucket Rangers players Fall River F.C. (1922–1931) players New York Field Club players New York Giants (soccer) players Indiana Flooring players Eastern Professional Soccer League (1928–29) players New York Nationals (ASL) players Scottish football managers Scottish expatriate football managers Scottish emigrants to the United States American soccer coaches American Soccer League (1921–1933) coaches National Soccer Hall of Fame members Footballers from Paisley, Renfrewshire American soccer players Men's association football forwards

Playing

Professional

National team

Coaching

Club

National team

Personal life

Honors

Sources

See also

References

External links