Dolan, Catliff to be inducted into Hall of Fame

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Dolan, Catliff among 11 to be inducted into Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame

BY NEIL DAVIDSON

CP

789 words

19 December 2003

17:33

The Canadian Press

English

© 2003 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO (CP) _ Paul Dolan was just 19 years old when he started for Canada against France at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

He was the youngest goalkeeper ever to start in soccer's showcase tournament.

``It seems so long ago now, it's half a lifetime ago,'' he recalled Friday from Vancouver. ``I just remember at the time thinking `This is great. I'm 19 years old. I'll be back in 1990, '94, '98, 2002. I could hit five World Cups.'

``Of course, we never got back.''

Dolan could still get back, but only as a member of Canada's coaching staff. Retired from international play in 1997 and the club scene a season or so later, he assisted interim coach Colin Miller in recent internationals against the Czech Republic and Ireland, and hopes to be able to help newly hired head coach Frank Yallop.

In the meantime, Dolan has cause to celebrate after being chosen to Canada's Soccer Hall of Fame.

Dolan was one of 11 inductees _ eight players and three builders _ announced Friday.

The others include Canadian teammate John Catliff, who is tied with Dale Mitchell as Canada's all-time leading scorer.

Catliff had 43 caps and 19 goals for Canada between 1984 and 1994. He was also the second-highest scorer in the history of the Canadian Soccer League with 69 in five seasons.

``He was such a big man, so good at winning balls in the air, flick ons,'' Dolan said. ``He was deceptively skilful. He looked lumbering but would always come out of that pack of three players around him with the ball at the end of his foot. And he had a heavy left-footed strike.

``Smart player, strong player. And certainly the type of guy we could use right now. Not taking anything away from Pesch and Radzinski (Paul Peschisolido and Tomasz Radzinski), they're so skilful in their own right. But I think a big John Catliff would really help them.''

Dolan, meanwhile, played 52 times for Canada between 1984 and 1997. He held France scoreless for 79 minutes at the World Cup before Jean-Pierre Papin scored the only goal of the game.

Dolan's induction will bring to 12 the number of players from the 1986 World Cup team in the Soccer Hall of Fame in Vaughan, Ont.

Other players in the new induction class are Bob Bolitho, Tony Chursky, Angela Kelly, Pat Philley and posthumously Trevor Harvey and Gordon (Gogie) Stewart.

Inducted in the builders category are Dan Kulai (posthumously) as well as Jeff Cross and Pat Quinn, no relation to the Toronto Maple Leafs' head coach.

Bolitho and Chursky both enjoyed stellar careers in the North American Soccer League.

Bolitho, a defender, played more than 200 games in the NASL for five teams, including the Vancouver Whitecaps, and represented Canada 29 times. He also played for the Victoria Vistas in the Canadian Soccer League.

Chursky, a goalkeeper, played more than 150 games for the Toronto Blizzard and three other NASAL teams. He won 19 caps for Canada.

Kelly will become the third woman to enter the Hall. She won four NCAA championships with the University of North Carolina on a team that went 97-1-1 and played 29 times for Canada, including at the 1995 World Cup. She now serves as women's coach at the University of Tennessee.

Philley captained Canada in the late 1950s and follows his brother, Brian, into the Hall of Fame. He played for Vancouver City and the Westminster Royals.

Harvey was regarded as one of the finest players ever produced in Canada but suffered because he played at a time when Canada did not field a national team. He won Canadian championships in 1936 with the Westminster Royals, 1937 with Johnston National Storage and 1938 and 1939 with Vancouver North Shore.

Stewart played one season with Everton in the late '50s, represented Canada and played in six national finals, winning three.

Kulai was a fine player in B.C. before turning to officiating. He refereed for 25 years, including World Cup qualifying games and at the Pan American Games.

Cross was a sportswriter with the Vancouver Province specializing in soccer. He also worked as an analyst with B.C. television.

Quinn was a longtime physiotherapist with the Canadian national team and Toronto Metros-Croatia when they won the NASL championship in 1976.

The Hall of Fame will also honour the Galt Football Club as its second ``team of distinction.''

Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the Galt team winning Olympic gold at the Games in St. Louis.