Jim Stamatis
Encyclopedia
Jim Stamatis is a retired U.S.-Greek soccer forward
and Vice President of The Louis Berger Group
. He played professionally in the North American Soccer League
, Major Indoor Soccer League
and American Soccer League
.
in Lehigh Valley
, Pennsylvania
. and was selected to the All State Team in 1975.http://www.pasoccercoaches.org/allstateboys1975.html After high school, he was recruited by many top colleges but elected to play at Penn State because of Coach Bahr’s
honesty that Stamatis would need to earn a place on the team.http://www.oldsoccerguys.com/Attendees.htm Stamatis did work hard and developed into one of the top collegiate forwards. In 1978, he was named as a first team All American
. He topped this the next year when he was selected as that year's Hermann Trophy
recipient as the top collegiate player. Penn State also made it to the NCAA championship semifinals before losing to eventual winners SIU-E
.
games and for preparations for the 1980 Summer Olympics
.
draft. He only played a year in the league before moving to the Denver Avalanche
of Major Indoor Soccer League
and the Pennsylvania Stoners
of the American Soccer League
before back injuries cut short his playing career.
where he graduated with a Civil Engineering
degree in 1985. His choice of school was influenced by the fact that his fiancée, now wife, was from New Jersey. While in New Jersey, Stamatis continued his association with soccer, now as a coach rather than as a player. He became an assistant coach with the school’s men's soccer team. Stamatis became a civil engineer for the Louis Berger Group
and rose to the position of senior vice president. While he did not continue to coach soccer after graduating from NJIT, he got back into coaching when his children began playing. His achievements as a coach now include three New Jersey State Cups and two Region I Championships.
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
and Vice President of The Louis Berger Group
Louis Berger Group
The Louis Berger Group, based in Morristown, NJ, according to their website:The Louis Berger Group currently ranks as the third largest USAID private sector partner....
. He played professionally in 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:...
, 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...
and 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...
.
Youth and college
Stamatis moved to the United States with his family as a youth. He attended Liberty High SchoolLiberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
For schools with similar names, see Liberty High School.Liberty High School is a public high school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
in Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. and was selected to the All State Team in 1975.http://www.pasoccercoaches.org/allstateboys1975.html After high school, he was recruited by many top colleges but elected to play at Penn State because of Coach Bahr’s
Walter Bahr
Walter Alfred Bahr is a retired American soccer player, considered one of the greatest ever in his country. He was the long-time captain of the U.S. national team and played in the 1950 FIFA World Cup when the U.S...
honesty that Stamatis would need to earn a place on the team.http://www.oldsoccerguys.com/Attendees.htm Stamatis did work hard and developed into one of the top collegiate forwards. In 1978, he was named as a first team All American
Division I First-Team All-American (soccer)
The Division I First-Team All-Americans are the best eleven U.S. college soccer players as selected by the NCAA.-1970–1983:From 1970 to 1983 the NCAA only named defenders and forwards in addition to one goalkeeper.-1983–present:...
. He topped this the next year when he was selected as that year's Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
recipient as the top collegiate player. Penn State also made it to the NCAA championship semifinals before losing to eventual winners SIU-E
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, commonly abbreviated SIUE, is a four-year coed public university in Edwardsville, Illinois about from St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and is the younger of the two largest...
.
National team
His outstanding play with Penn State brought him to the attention of the national team and he was called up to the U-23 national team at the Pan AmericanFootball at the 1979 Pan American Games
The eighth edition of the Men's Football Tournament at the Pan American Games was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 2 to July 14, 1979. Nine teams competed in a first round-robin competition, with Brazil defending the title...
games and for preparations 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...
.
Professional soccer
In 1980, the San Diego Sockers selected Stamatis in the first round of the North American Soccer LeagueNorth 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:...
draft. He only played a year in the league before moving to the Denver Avalanche
Denver Avalanche
The Denver Avalanche was an American soccer team based out of Denver, Colorado that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1982. Their home arena was McNichols Sports Arena...
of 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...
and the Pennsylvania Stoners
Pennsylvania Stoners
Pennsylvania Stoners is an American soccer team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2007, the team plays in National Premier Soccer League , a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Eastern Keystone Division.The team plays its home...
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...
before back injuries cut short his playing career.
Post-soccer career
He had failed to complete his degree while at Penn State, so he decided to enter the New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....
where he graduated with a Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
degree in 1985. His choice of school was influenced by the fact that his fiancée, now wife, was from New Jersey. While in New Jersey, Stamatis continued his association with soccer, now as a coach rather than as a player. He became an assistant coach with the school’s men's soccer team. Stamatis became a civil engineer for the Louis Berger Group
Louis Berger Group
The Louis Berger Group, based in Morristown, NJ, according to their website:The Louis Berger Group currently ranks as the third largest USAID private sector partner....
and rose to the position of senior vice president. While he did not continue to coach soccer after graduating from NJIT, he got back into coaching when his children began playing. His achievements as a coach now include three New Jersey State Cups and two Region I Championships.