Billy Ronson
Personal information
Date of birth (1957-01-22)22 January 1957
Place of birth Fleetwood, England
Date of death 8 April 2015(2015-04-08) (aged 58)
Place of death Perry Hall, Maryland, United States
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974–1979 Blackpool 128 (12)
1978 → Fort Lauderdale Strikers (loan) 17 (1)
1979–1981 Cardiff City 90 (4)
1981–1982 Wrexham 32 (1)
1982–1986 Barnsley 113 (3)
1986 → Birmingham City (loan) 2 (0)
1986 Blackpool 3 (0)
1986–1992 Baltimore Blast (indoor) 280 (112)
1992 Tampa Bay Rowdies
1992–1993 Detroit Rockers (indoor) 29 (19)
1993–1995 Baltimore Bays (indoor) ? (?)
1994 Baltimore Bays
1995 Pittsburgh Stingers (indoor) 8 (5)
1996 Washington Warthogs (indoor) 24 (14)
1996–1997 Baltimore Bays (indoor)
1998–1999 Baltimore Spirit (indoor) 17 (5)
Managerial career
1993–1997 Goucher College
1993–1995 Baltimore Bays (assistant)
1996–1998 Baltimore Bays
1998–1999 Baltimore Spirit (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Ronson (22 January 1957 – 8 April 2015) was an English footballer who spent twelve seasons in the English leagues, one in the North American Soccer League, six in the Major Indoor Soccer League and another seven years in a variety of lower division indoor and outdoor leagues in the United States. He also coached at the collegiate and professional levels.

Playing career

Ronson, the son of Fleetwood stalwart Percy Ronson, began his career at Blackpool, making his debut in March 1975 against Nottingham Forest. He originally struggled to break into the side but eventually managed to establish himself in the first team. In 1978, he went on loan to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League. He was unable to prevent Blackpool's relegation during the 1977–78 season and spent one more year at the club before joining Cardiff City for a fee of £130,000, a club record at the time.[1] He missed very few games in his two years at Ninian Park before growing disenchanted with the club's lack of progress and leaving to join Wrexham.[2]

His only season at Wrexham ended in relegation, and he left to join Barnsley. He became popular at the Yorkshire club before falling out with manager Allan Clarke and being loaned to Birmingham City before being released and returning to Blackpool on non-contract terms.[2] He moved to America in 1986 to join the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He remained with the Blast for six seasons. The Blast collapsed at the end of the 1991–92 season. In February 2009, the reconstituted Blast inducted Ronson into the team's Hall of Fame.[3] In June 1992, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the American Professional Soccer League.[4] In 1994, he joined the Baltimore Bays of the USISL. On 19 November 1992, he joined the Detroit Rockers of the National Professional Soccer League.[5][6] In the fall of 1993, he signed with the Baltimore Bays as that team prepared for the 1993–94 USISL indoor season.[7] He was the 1994 Rookie of the Year.[8] He continued with the Bays, playing the 1994 outdoor and 1994–95 indoor seasons. On 26 July 1995, he signed with the Pittsburgh Stingers of the Continental Indoor Soccer League.[9] In August 1995, Ronson was in an auto accident which put him out for the rest of the season. In June 1996, he joined the Washington Warthogs of the CISL.[10] At the end of the 1996 summer indoor season, Ronson returned to the Bays where he became a player-coach for the 1996–97 USISL indoor season. He was the league's points leader and MVP.[11] In December 1998, he joined the Baltimore Spirit on a 15-day contract.[12][13]

Coaching

In 1993, Ronson became the head coach of the Goucher College NCAA Division III women's soccer team. He coached the team through the 1997 season, compiling a 41–44–4 record.[14] In 1994, he became an assistant coach with the Baltimore Bays.[15] He left the Bays in 1995 to play for the Pittsburgh Stingers then returned as a player-head coach of the Bays for the 1996–1997 indoor season. After retiring, Ronson had spells as assistant coach and later assistant general manager at Baltimore Blast. In 2009, he was inducted into the Baltimore Blast hall of fame.[16]

His last known employer was an American company named Action Business Systems.[17]

He died of natural causes at his home in Perry Hall, Baltimore County, on 8 April 2015.[18]

References

Specific

  1. ^ Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. London: Macdonald Futura Publishers. 1980. p. 111. ISBN 0362020175.
  2. ^ a b Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 166. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
  3. ^ "Baltimore Blast to induct Ronson and Chinapoo in sixth Hall of Fame class". Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  4. ^ LOCALLY The Tampa Tribune – Thursday, 18 June 1992.
  5. ^ SPORTS TODAY The Buffalo News – Friday, 20 November 1992.
  6. ^ NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE FINAL OFFICIAL STATISTICS – 1992–1993 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Ronson is still kicking . . . this time indoors for Bays
  8. ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1994". Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  9. ^ TWO LITTLE-USED STINGERS WILL GET THEIR SHOT TONIGHT Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) – Friday, 28 July 1995.
  10. ^ WARTHOGS OPEN SEASON WITH NEW, MATURE LOOK Washington Post – Friday, 21 June 1996.
  11. ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1997". Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  12. ^ REINIGER BREAKS OUT OF SLUMP St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) – Saturday, 26 December 1998.
  13. ^ NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE FINAL OFFICIAL STATISTICS – 1998–1999 Archived 28 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Goucher College soccer coaching records
  15. ^ Raleigh soccer team starts play at Baltimore The News & Observer – Saturday, 1 May 1993
  16. ^ "Sixth class to be inducted into hall of fame". Baltimoreblast.com. 26 February 2009. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  17. ^ "Billy Ronson". abs-easton.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  18. ^ Graham, Glenn (8 April 2015). "Blast Hall of Famer Billy Ronson dead at 58". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 9 April 2015.

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