November 15 (1927)

Future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Harry Keough is born. A fullback, he will lead the legendary Kutis team (and its predecessors that played under different sponsors) to one U.S. Open and seven U.S. Amateur Cups. He will play for U.S. Junior Cup champion Schumacher’s in 1946. He will start for the United States along with four other St. Louisans in the epic 1-0 upset of England in the 1950 World Cup, and captain the U.S National Team in many of his 19 appearances from 1949-1957. “Harry was almost a perfect player,” Val Pelizzaro will tell Dave Lange in a 2010 interview. Pelizzaro will play with Keough for Kutis and serve as Keough’s assistant coach at St. Louis University, where Keough will coach the Billikens to five NCAA championships. “He was a quiet leader and a perfect gentleman,” one of his players and future U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General, Dan Flynn, will tell Lange. “When you lost, you felt bad for more than just losing. You felt bad for Harry because you let him down.” Losing will happen rarely under Keough’s leadership. The Bills will win 213 games and lose only 50 in Keough’s 16 seasons. The Bills will go 45 consecutive matches without a loss from 1969-1972. One of the best of the Billikens to play for Keough, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Al Trost, will tell Lange: “Harry was a great person and role model to have as a coach. You wanted to succeed, just for Harry.”