Raymond P. "Ray" Beckman (June 30, 1925 – July 13, 2011) was an American soccer player who was a member of the 1948 U.S. Olympic soccer team. He also earned two caps with the U.S. national team

United States men's national soccer team

The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...

 that year.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, Beckman joined the U.S. Navy during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. He served as an electrician aboard the hospital ship USS Comfort

USS Comfort (AH-6)

The second USS Comfort was launched 18 March 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by First Lieutenant E...

, and survived a 1945 kamikaze attack that killed 30 and wounded 48. After the war, he returned to St. Louis where he worked for eighteen years until he was injured while fighting a fire. In addition to working as a fire fighter, Beckman played soccer in the St. Louis leagues. In 1948, Beckman was playing for De Andries in the St. Louis Major League when he was selected for the U.S. soccer team

United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics

The United States competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. 300 competitors, 262 men and 38 women, took part in 126 events in 19 sports.- Gold:*Harrison Dillard — Athletics, Men's 100 metres...

 which competed at the Summer Olympics

Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics

The 1948 Olympic Games title was won by Sweden, managed by Englishman George Raynor.-Summary:Sweden, whose Football Association forbade professionalism within domestic football, ran out as winners and only used 12 players throughout the entire tournament but there were exceptional performances put...

. He played all 90 minutes in the 9-0 loss to Italy that eliminated the U.S. from the tournament. After the Olympics, the U.S. played two full internationals, an 11-0 loss to Norway

Norway national football team

The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

, followed by a 5-0 loss to Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland national football team

The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...

 on August 11, 1948.

In 1949, he began coaching high school soccer at John Burroughs School

John Burroughs School

Founded in 1923, John Burroughs School is a private, non-sectarian preparatory school with nearly 600 students in grades 7-12. Its 47.5 acre campus is located in Ladue, Missouri , an affluent suburb of Saint Louis. It is named for U.S...

. He was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame in 1980. He retired from JBS in 2000 after 51 years of coaching.

A soccer tournament and stadium are named for Beckman, honoring his contributions to soccer in St. Louis.