Darryl Gee
Encyclopedia
Darryl Gee is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League
and Major Indoor Soccer League
. He coaches youth soccer in Maryland.
Gee grew up in Columbia, Maryland
where he was an outstanding high school soccer player for the Oakland Mills High School
boys team. He scored 52 goals in 31 games during his junior and senior seasons at Oakland Mills, and was named to the 1980 Baltimore Sun High School Athlete of the Year, attracting the attention of scouts from the North American Soccer League
.
After finishing high school, Gee played for the U.S. Olympic soccer team which qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics
. Gee scored a goal during the regional qualification round, which the U.S. won. However, due to President’s Carter’s boycott of the Olympics, held in the Soviet Union, Gee and his team mates were unable to compete.
Gee would go on to play for the U-20 national team at the regional qualification tournament for the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship
, to be held in Australia. The U.S. team easily handled its opponents, losing only to Mexico 2-0 in the final game. In Australia, the team did poorly, losing to Uruguay 3-0 and Poland 4-0 and tying Qatar 1-1. They then toured China, defeating Australia 2-1, but losing to China 5-1 and Egypt 1-0.
With an impressive resume at the junior level, the Minnesota Kicks
of the North American Soccer League
drafted Gee out of high school. The Kicks then traded Gee to the New York Cosmos
in exchange for the Cosmos first and second round draft picks. However, he was unable to break into the starting lineup until June 1982. On September 28, 1982, the Cosmos played a farewell match against Brazilian club Flamengo
in honor of Cosmos and Flamengo great Carlos Alberto
. In that game, Alberto played the first half for the Cosmos. At half time, he gave Gee his jersey, then played the second half for Flamengo. Gee remained with the Cosmos, playing both indoor and outdoor seasons, until the team folded in 1984. In December 1987, Gee signed with the Maryland Bays
of the American Soccer League
. In 1990, the Bays took the APSL title. Gee retired from playing in 1992.
In 1999, he coached the Maryland Mania
of the USL A-League in that team's single season of existence.
He runs the Darryl Gee Soccer Academy in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Gee was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame.
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
and Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
. He coaches youth soccer in Maryland.
Gee grew up in Columbia, Maryland
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
where he was an outstanding high school soccer player for the Oakland Mills High School
Oakland Mills High School
Oakland Mills High School was established in 1973 as one of the first high schools to service the Columbia, Maryland area. It is part of the Howard County Public School System.The building had its first renovation in 1991, then again in 1998...
boys team. He scored 52 goals in 31 games during his junior and senior seasons at Oakland Mills, and was named to the 1980 Baltimore Sun High School Athlete of the Year, attracting the attention of scouts from the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
.
After finishing high school, Gee played for the U.S. Olympic soccer team which qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
. Gee scored a goal during the regional qualification round, which the U.S. won. However, due to President’s Carter’s boycott of the Olympics, held in the Soviet Union, Gee and his team mates were unable to compete.
Gee would go on to play for the U-20 national team at the regional qualification tournament for the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship
1981 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship, the third edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Australia from 3 to 18 October 1981. The tournament took place in six venues—where a total of 32 matches were played...
, to be held in Australia. The U.S. team easily handled its opponents, losing only to Mexico 2-0 in the final game. In Australia, the team did poorly, losing to Uruguay 3-0 and Poland 4-0 and tying Qatar 1-1. They then toured China, defeating Australia 2-1, but losing to China 5-1 and Egypt 1-0.
With an impressive resume at the junior level, the Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League. The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in Denver, Colorado as the Denver Dynamos...
of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
drafted Gee out of high school. The Kicks then traded Gee to the New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos
The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...
in exchange for the Cosmos first and second round draft picks. However, he was unable to break into the starting lineup until June 1982. On September 28, 1982, the Cosmos played a farewell match against Brazilian club Flamengo
Flamengo
Flamengo is the name of a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- History :It is the Portuguese word for Flemish, and it was given to the nearby beach because it was the place where the Dutch sailor Olivier van Noort tried to invade the city in 1599...
in honor of Cosmos and Flamengo great Carlos Alberto
Carlos Alberto
Carlos Alberto is a common Portuguese given name, also found in Spanish .It is the name of several footballers:...
. In that game, Alberto played the first half for the Cosmos. At half time, he gave Gee his jersey, then played the second half for Flamengo. Gee remained with the Cosmos, playing both indoor and outdoor seasons, until the team folded in 1984. In December 1987, Gee signed with the Maryland Bays
Maryland Bays
The Maryland Bays were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988.They were based in Catonsville, Maryland, and played their games at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL...
of the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
. In 1990, the Bays took the APSL title. Gee retired from playing in 1992.
In 1999, he coached the Maryland Mania
Maryland Mania
Maryland Mania was a soccer club based in Baltimore Maryland that competed in the A-League for one year, in 1999.-Year-by-year:-Coach:Justin Fashanu was hired to coach the Mania, but fled the United States during the pre-season when he was accused of sexually assaulting an underage boy. He was...
of the USL A-League in that team's single season of existence.
He runs the Darryl Gee Soccer Academy in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Gee was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame.