Harry Jay Ratican (January 20, 1894 in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

– August 22, 1964 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a U.S. soccer forward, coach and team owner. He began and ended his career in the St. Louis Soccer League with several years in both 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 ...

and American Soccer League. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Soccer career

Club career

Ratican, the younger brother of Peter Ratican, grew up in

, attending the

Christian Brothers College High School Christian Brothers College High School (CBC High School) is a Lasallian Catholic college preparatory school for young men in Town and Country, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis and ...

and St. Louis University. On October 19, 1914, Ratican played his first professional match with the Teresas of the St. Louis Soccer Football League scoring a goal after six minutes of play. The next Sunday, Ratican jumped to the

Ben Millers Ben Millers was a U.S. soccer club sponsored by the Ben W. Miller Hat Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1913, it entered the St. Louis Soccer League two years later, winning seven league titles and one National Challenge Cup before its d ...

(managed by his brother, Pete) of the Federal Park Soccer League scoring two goals in the match. In 1916, he left St. Louis to sign with

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 ...

in the

(NAFBL). In December, he returned to St. Louis when Bethlehem played two games, one against a St. Louis All Star team, the second against Ratican’s old team, Ben Millers. Bethlehem lost 3-1 to the All Star team, with Ratican scoring the lone Bethlehem goal. They then tied Ben Millers 2-2 with Ratican again scoring Bethlehem’s first goal of the game. During the 1917–18 season, he and team mate Tommy Fleming led the league in scoring. In April, they both had twenty goals each, but records do not show how many they had at the end of the season. In 1918, Bethlehem won the National Challenge Cup, Ratican scoring in the final, and again in

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 ...

with Ratican again scoring in the final. However, Ratican was out much of the 1918–19 season will an unknown illness. In July, Ratican signed with Robins Dry Dock. However, he still traveled with Bethlehem, serving as team captain, on its tour of Scandinavia that summer. In 1920, the St. Louis Soccer League sent an All Star team on a tour of Scandinavia. Despite playing in the ASL, Ratican was still invited and went on the tour. Ratican won another National Challenge Cup in 1921 with Robins. In 1921, the NAFBL folded when several teams left to form the American Soccer League. Robins Dry Dock merged with

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 ...

to become

Todd Shipyards Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

, which was the parent corporation for both Robins Dry Dock and Tebo Yacht Basin. Todd Shipyards lost the 1922 National Challenge Cup to

St. Louis Scullin Steel F.C. St. Louis Scullin Steel was a U.S. soccer team established in St. Louis, Missouri in 1918. It spent seven seasons in the St. Louis Soccer League, winning three league titles and one National Challenge Cup. History In 1918, Scullin Steel of St. Lo ...

Ratican did not finish the 1921–22 season with Todd, but moved to Harrison S.C. Ratican began the 1922–23 season 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 a torn ligament in his leg prevented him from playing any games with the team. Ratican left Fall River in September 1922 to coach the West Point soccer team. He was not released from his playing contract with Fall River until December 1922 at which time he began seeking playing opportunities with other ASL teams. When those did not materialize, he left the northeast on the completion of the collegiate season to return to St. Louis to rejoin

, scoring two goals in his debut. He then returned to the ASL later that year to play one game with the New York Giants. He then gave up playing for several years, except for guest appearances with various St. Louis teams. In 1925, Ratican began playing regularly with his team Ratican's in the SLSL. He remained with Ratican’s until it changed sponsorship in 1927. He then continued playing with the renamed team, now known as Tablers for the 1927–28 season. Tablers won the SLSL title that season.

Managerial career

In September 1922, Ratican was hired by the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, better known as West Point, to coach the school’s soccer team. Following the completion of the collegiate season, he returned to St. Louis, playing for

then serving as an assistant coach with

This pattern continued for several years as Ratican coached West Point then returned to St. Louis during the off season to play or coach local teams. In 1924, Ratican formed a team, known appropriately as Ratican's, which he entered in the St. Louis Soccer League. The team performed poorly, finishing fourth out of four teams with a 2-12-4 record. They improved the next season, finishing third with a 4-6-4 record. In 1927, Ratican’s again finished last, with a 1-8-3 record. In 1927, Tabler’s took over sponsorship of Ratican’s team, renaming the squad, Tablers. Ratican was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame and St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950.St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame
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Baseball

In addition to soccer, Ratican also played minor league baseball. He spent some time with the

Quincy Gems The Quincy Gems are a collegiate summer league baseball team located in Quincy, Illinois. The Gems were originally a part of the Central Illinois Collegiate League and joined the Prospect League with several other CICL teams prior to the 2009 ...

of the Three-I League. Then played outfield for the Bethlehem Steel company team.

References

External links

National Soccer Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratican, Harry 1894 births 1964 deaths American soccer coaches American Soccer League (1921–1933) players American soccer players Army Black Knights men's soccer coaches Men's association football forwards Baseball players from St. Louis Bethlehem Steel F.C. (1907–1930) players Fall River F.C. (1922–1931) players Harrison S.C. players Minor league baseball players National Association Football League players National Soccer Hall of Fame members New York Giants (soccer) players Quincy Gems players Ratican's players Brooklyn Robins Dry Dock players Soccer players from St. Louis Ben Millers players St. Louis Soccer League players Tablers players Todd Shipyards (soccer) players