Peter Peel
American soccer manager and promoter / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter J. Peel (1866 – May 3, 1960) was a two-time president of the United States Football Association. He also managed the U.S. Olympic team at the 1924 Summer Olympics and founded the Peel Cup. He was elected as a builder to the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951.
Peter Peel | |
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3rd & 5th President of United States Soccer Federation | |
In office 1917–1919 | |
Preceded by | John Fernley |
Succeeded by | George Healey |
In office 1923–1924 | |
Preceded by | George Healey |
Succeeded by | Morris W. Johnson |
Personal details | |
Born | Peter J. Peel 1866 Dublin, Ireland |
Died | May 3, 1960 Chicago, United States |
Peel was born in Dublin, Ireland and grew up in Ireland, but in 1893 traveled to the United States to visit the Chicago World’s Fair. He remained in Chicago.
Peel became an integral part of Chicago's athletic scene. In 1909, he established the Peel Cup, an annual cup competition to crown the Illinois state champion. Peel intended this cup to have two purposes, one was to promote a high level of competition and also to raise money for a player benefit fund. The Peel Cup the longest running U.S. soccer cup until superseded in 1970 by the Illinois Governor’s Cup.[1] Three years later, he established the Peel Shield which was awarded to the Cook County, Illinois high school championship.[2] In 1916, the Illinois State Soccer Football Association was formed, and Peter Peel was elected its first president.