Sheldon Benjamin Govier (born 11 January 1876 in

Coatbridge Coatbridge ( sco, Cotbrig or Coatbrig, gd, Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

; died 1951 in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

), also known as Ben Govier, was an American

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 halfback who spent his entire career in the United States, primarily with

Pullman F.C. Pullman F.C. was one of the dominant American soccer teams of the early twentieth century. Established in 1893 as the Pullman Company team, it was an inaugural member of the Chicago League of Association Football before moving to the Association ...

He is a member of 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 ...

Youth

Govier was born in Scotland to English parents. They moved to

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

Cambuslang Cambuslang ( sco, Cammuslang, from gd, Camas Lang) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a ...

when he was three and he played schoolboy football at Hallside Primary. His parents left Britain in 1891 and settled the family in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. His father died within months of their arrival in Chicago and Govier, fifteen years old at the time, went to work for the

Pullman Company The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...

. He eventually played for the company team,

His younger brother, Sheldon William, was eight when they arrived in Chicago. Sheldon W. later both worked and played for Pullman, but became better known for his involvement in Chicago politics. Biographies of the two men frequently intermix their biographical details.

Career

When Govier began playing for Pullman, it competed in the Chicago League of Association Football. He gained his first start with the team when he was fifteen. He then moved to Thistles. In December 1896, Govier moved to the St. Louis Cycling Club of the St. Louis Football Association. As late as 1900, Govier would play for Cycling Club if called upon. In 1901, Govier briefly played for Chicago in a four team league created by baseball owners. The league lasted a few games before collapsing. In 1905, he was captain of the Chicago All Star team which defeated the touring Pilgrim's team. He played one season each for Wanderers, Woodlawn and Buxton Red Sox before rejoining Pullman. In 1917, Pullman disbanded and Govier moved to Joliet F.C. before retiring in 1918. He was inducted into the

in 1950.Sheldon Govier

His son, Benjamin Govier, Jr., also played in the Chicago leagues.

References

External links

Ben Govier: Captain Pullman Football Club
Spalding's Official "Soccer" Football Guide 915-1916 season*
1904-05 Cycling Club with Govier; ''see p. 32''
Association Foot Ball Guide, 904-1905 season Spalding's Athletic Library, scan via CARLI Digital Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Govier, Sheldon 1876 births 1951 deaths American men's soccer players National Soccer Hall of Fame members Soccer players from Chicago Pullman F.C. players Footballers from Coatbridge Scottish emigrants to the United States Men's association football central defenders Footballers from Cambuslang Scottish men's footballers Scottish people of English descent American people of English descent