Dr. John L. McKeon

Dr. John L. McKeon, 80, of Stroudsburg, died on Thursday, Dec. 4, at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Bethlehem. He was the husband of the late Beverly (Lindeen) McKeon and Laura Lee Stagge-McKeon.

Born on April 16, 1923, in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the son of the late James F. McKeon and Catherine (Hughes) Bell.

He received a bachelor of science degree from Drake University, Des Moines in 1948, master of education degree in 1950, and doctorate of physical education degree in 1965, both from Springfield College in Springfield, Mass.

A veteran of the U.S. Army, he served in Europe during World War II. Prior to serving in the armed forces, he played semi-professional baseball in the New York Giants organization.

While in high School, he was a member of the NYC champion mile relay team for consecutive back-to-back years. As an undergraduate, he competed in track and field and cross-country at Drake. He was a member of the school's NCAA championship cross-country team in 1946 and was Mid-Atlantic AAU champion in the half-mile.

Upon graduation, he taught and coached at Des Moines Technical High School for one year, was director of athletics at City Athletic Club in New York City for one year, and a graduate assistant in the Naval Research program at Springfield College for two years.

He taught physical education as an assistant professor at the University of Bridgeport from 1953 to 1965, Montclair State as an assistant professor from 1965 to 1966, and East Stroudsburg University as a professor from 1966 until his retirement in 1988.

John was one of the nation's most highly respected, most honored, and most successful soccer coaches and administrators over a 40-year period.

He coached at the University of Bridgeport for 12 years from 1953 to 1964 with his teams posting a record of 97-25-6. He guided the Purple Knights to the NCAA Division 1 Soccer Tournament Finals in 1959 where he lost to the University of St. Louis, 5-2. The team reached the finals with an exciting 2-1 win over West Chester, which took 11 overtimes, the longest collegiate soccer game ever played. His teams also reached the NCAA semi-finals in 1961 and the quarterfinals in 1963 and 1964.

In all, he coached soccer 29 years with a record of 215-130-29. His teams competed in nine NCAA post-season tournaments, and he produced seven all-American players.

In addition to soccer, he also coached baseball at University of Bridgeport and track at Montclair State and East Stroudsburg University.

McKeon served as president and long-time executive director of the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America. He also headed the NSCAA Senior Bowl Committee for many years. He received an NSCAA Honor Award in 1988.

He also served as publisher of "Soccer Monthly" magazine for the U.S. Soccer Federation for which he was vice president and World Cup ticket sales chairman.

For 16 years, McKeon was a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He also served a seven-year term on the NCAA Rules Committee for Soccer, six of those years as secretary.

He was a head scout for the Montreal DeManic for many years and a special assistant for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, both of the North American Soccer League.

He wrote numerous articles and gave many lectures and presentations on both soccer and physical education. In 1968, he co-authored the textbook, "Skills and Strategies in Successful Soccer," which was used in college classes throughout the nation and went through six printings.

He was chosen as winner of the Double D Award from Drake University in 1974 given to individuals who distinguished themselves in their careers after leaving college. He was inducted into the Drake Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973, University of Bridgeport Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986, and East Stroudsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2002, he was inducted into the Connecticut Athletic Hall of Fame.

He was also inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1995 as a selection of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association. He earned numerous Coach of the Year Awards on a national, regional and conference level.

Surviving are three daughters, Margaret Whelly and Kathleen McKeon, both of San Francisco, Calif., and Kate Cilurso of Levittown; two sons, James E. McKeon of Santa Barbara, Calif., and John Joseph McKeon of San Francisco, Calif.; one stepdaughter, Hillary Potcher of Snydersville; one stepson, Edward A. Moore of Stroudsburg; and 11 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by one daughter, Jennifer McKeon; and one son, Michael McKeon.

Closed casket funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at Thomas Funeral Home, 401 N. Fifth St., Stroudsburg. The Rev. Father Dan Toomey will officiate.

There will be an opened casket viewing from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Memorial donations may be made to John L. McKeon Scholarship Fund, c/o Gary Olson, ESSA, 200 Palmer St., Stroudsburg, PA 18360; or National Soccer Coaches Association, in memory of Dr. John L. McKeon, 6700 Squibb Road, Suite 215, Mission, KS 66202.