Kevin Crow Elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame
There was little doubt that Kevin Crow was born to be a soccer player for all seasons. He excelled at the indoor and outdoor games and served the Beautiful Game off the pitch as well.
Crow made 13 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team during an era when international games were not as frequent as today. He also earned North American Soccer League all-star honors in his second season, a rare achievement for an American player back then. He also competed at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics and was a perennial all-star defender in professional indoor play.
A two-time collegiate All-American, Crow was a rarity in that he played his entire professional career — 14 years — with one soccer club, the San Diego Sockers. In that span, he competed in four leagues: NASL (outdoor and indoor), Major Indoor Soccer League and Continental Indoor Soccer League.
He played a vital role for seven indoor championship sides in eight years, from 1985 to 1992, securing MISL Defender of the Year honors five times and being named an All-MISL first team selection six times.
Crow already is a member of six Halls of Fame: Tri-Valley, Ballistic United, Amador Valley High, San Diego State, Indoor Soccer, and most recently, Cal North.
On May 1, 2026, Crow will add a seventh Hall of Fame honor when he will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. Crow was voted in from the Veteran Ballot.
Now 64, Crow also has enjoyed an impactful second act off the field. He has been a U.S. Soccer board member and was the Chief Operating Officer of the Women’s United Soccer Association. He also has worked as general manager and coach of the San Diego Spirit, and vice president and technical director for Atlanta United (both in the WUSA).
He currently serves as technical director of the Pleasanton Ballistic United Soccer Club, which helped launch his career.
His father Charles played for the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills in the NFL, but soccer was in Crow’s heart from an early age.
“My dad didn’t know anything about soccer,” he told Soccer America in 2020. “We were a traditional football family. He didn’t know anything about a crazy sport where you kicked and chased a ball. But I hung out with my older brother and his friends, playing sports, and they started playing soccer. I got into it.
“I fell in love with soccer … because it’s the ultimate team sport. I love it from the standpoint of sharing responsibility. Everybody gets to be the quarterback.”
He participated in several sports until he was 14, before concentrating on soccer.
“I had people who came from other countries and would watch me play, say, ‘You have something if you want to stay with it,’ which was nice to hear,” he said.
Crow credited his Under-16 youth coach Ian Lang, who was friends with San Jose Earthquakes standout Johnny Moore, with helping him take his skills to the next level.
“He was the type of guy who could still play with us and be the best one on the field,” he told Soccer America. “He stoked the passion in me. And we just played a lot. It was back when you learned by just playing.”
It wasn’t until the summer between his sophomore and junior years at San Diego State that the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Crow decided to play professionally.
“I’m going to give it a hard two years to make a run at this,” he told Soccer America.
That two-year experiment launched a Hall of Fame career.
Crow was an attacking player until college, but San Diego State coach George Logan decided to use him at center back, saying that it was best for the team.
“And it just clicked, because I had played the center forward or the attacking midfield position my whole life,” Crow said. “So, I knew what he should be doing. I knew the run he was supposed to make and the ball he was looking for, so I was always a step ahead.
“I use that as an example to kids. Don’t get caught up in your position right now. Just learn the game and have a passion for the game. That will make you more valuable, and you don’t know what position you’re going to end up with as you keep going up the chain.”
Manchester United showed interest in the 23-year-old defender in 1985, although Crow said he preferred rival Manchester City.
“Kevin is probably one of the most talented players to emerge from the American collegian soccer system,” Sockers teammate and Polish legend Kaz Deyna told the Manchester Evening News.
United manager Ron Atkinson contacted the Sockers.
“I’d prefer to join Manchester City,” Crow told the Evening News. “I have heard so much about them from Kaziu [Denya], and I’d like to think they might give me a trial. However, if City don’t want me, I would be willing to listen to what United have to say, should they approach me.”
Nothing ever came of it, and Crow turned into an elite indoor defender with San Diego from 1984 to 1992 in the MISL. Playing with such legends as Steve Zungul, Branko Segota, Juli Veee and Zoltan Toth, Crow helped the Sockers dominate the league.
“I tell you, that kid, Kevin Crow, he’s becoming a great player,” Veee told the North County Times in 1984. “He’s made a difference on this team.”
By the time Crow hung up his boots after the 1996 CISL season, he had accumulated 83 goals and 93 assists in 433 indoor matches. He added 26 goals and 33 assists in 118 playoff contests.
The greatest disappointment of Crow’s international career came at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., on May 31, 1985, when the U.S. was eliminated from 1986 World Cup contention with an excruciating 1-0 loss to Costa Rica.
“I’m kind of numb right now,” Crow told this writer that night. “The World Cup is a dream of mine. Now it’s blown up in my face.”
In the 35th minute of that match, Jorge Chevez sent a free kick into the penalty area that goalkeeper Arnie Mausser tried to punch away. A Tico player, however, headed the ball to the right side, where Evaristo Coronado buried into the net for the lone goal.
“It was a fluky goal,” Crow said. “I was going up for the ball with my man. I heard the keeper call for the ball and I bowed out.”
Individual glory was never a priority for Crow.
Playing in Amador Valley High School’s final game of the season, Crow was tripped in the penalty area, and the referee awarded his team a penalty kick. He was only one goal away from breaking the school’s scoring record. Instead, he deferred to a teammate.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Amador Valley coach Mike Feib told the Los Angeles Times in 1985. “Kevin gave the shot to a kid who was in a slump. That tells you what type of player Kevin was.”
Crow explained his reasoning: “The other player had been in a slump for a month,” he told the Times. “It’s a team sport. I could care less about individual awards. I’m appreciative when I get them, but I’m not in this game for publicity and fame.”
In 1992, after winning the MISL Defender of the Year for an unprecedented fifth time (and the fourth time in five seasons), Crow downplayed the award.
“It’s always an honor to win an award like this,” he told the Times. “But this kind of honor is really a team thing. I’m more proud of having the best defense in the league — that’s the main reason I won the award.”
Today, Crow runs the show at the Ballistic United Soccer Club in Pleasanton, Calif.
“This club holds a special place in my heart due to my previous time playing here during my youth,” he said on the club’s website. “I believe Ballistic is one of the best-run clubs in the country, and we have fantastic programs for every level of competition. The East Bay is an amazing place for soccer and has a rich talent pool. Players from surrounding districts have always migrated to Ballistic.
“We look at the players with a holistic approach and always proceed with player development at the forefront of our decision making. The collective staff are wonderful to work alongside and share a common vision in our approach and way of playing which sets us apart from the competition. I felt that the opportunity the board proposed to me was the next challenge I wanted to take in my career and try to help continue this club’s growth. Now 10 years later, I feel as passionate and committed to that effort as ever before!”