Balboa, Harkes, and Ramos Elected to the Hall

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

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The National Soccer Hall of Fame announce that U.S. Men's National Team stars and Major League Soccer pioneers  Marcelo Balboa, John Harkes, and Tab Ramos will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 29 in Oneonta, NY. The Induction Class of 2005 will appear on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning.

“What a glorious Class of 2005!” President/CEO Will Lunn said. “These are players who have truly made a difference to soccer in America, most notably on the field, but they have been so very important in the growth of the game on all levels. We look forward to welcoming them to their new home in Oneonta.”

"Major League Soccer is proud to congratulate three of the League's founders on their election to the National Soccer Hall of Fame," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "Hall of Fames are built for players like Tab, Marcelo and John. As members of the first Hall of Fame class comprised entirely of former MLS players, they have left a lasting legacy for our League and the sport of soccer in our country."

All three players were clear choices in their first year of eligibility for election to the Hall of Fame and form the first all-MLS Hall of Fame class ever. A total of 123 votes were cast, and increase of 51 votes over the 2004 election. Election rules state that the top three will be elected if each receives more than 80% of the votes cast.

Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible for election to the Hall of Fame, a player must meet criterion No. 1 and either No. 2 or No. 3 of the following three criteria.
No. 1: He or she must have been retired as a player for at least three years, but for no more than 10 years (for the 2005 election, this means that he or she must have retired no later than 2002 and no earlier than 1995).
No. 2: He or she must have played at least 20 full international games for the United States. This 20-game requirement is reduced to 10 games if the games were prior to 1990.
No. 3:  He or she must have played at least five seasons in an American first-division professional league, and won the league championship, won the U.S. Open Cup or been a league all-star at least once.
*Players who meet either #2 or #3 but who retired more than 10 years ago are eligible for election via the Veterans' Committee

Voters
Media selected by the National Soccer Hall of Fame in conjunction with U.S. Soccer, Major League Soccer, and the Women’s United Soccer Association, Hall of Famers, All current and past senior U.S. National Team Coaches, MLS coaches with at least 4 years tenure as a head coach in the League, The Secretary General of U.S. Soccer, the Commissioner of MLS and the MLS Board of Governors.

Quotes
Marcelo Balboa
“This is something you dream about, beginning as young player, but when the call comes, you first reaction is “Holy Cow!”
“This the best telephone call of my professional life!”

John Harkes
“I received the call on my cell phone while driving and I had to pull the car over.” “I am overwhelmed with the honor. It is not an everyday event that you get to be honored by the people that are knowledgeable in the game. I could not be more proud.”

Tab Ramos
“Oh God! I have to sit down,” “You can never be prepared for a moment like this. I am extremely honored to be one of the soccer names that will live forever and I say that with great respect for the Hall of Famers who preceded me.”

Bob Gansler
Head Coach of the 1990 U.S. National Team when all three made their first appearance in the World Cup and is currently coach of the Kansas City Wizards of MLS.

“These are truly deserving players. They have at every level, youth, Olympic, World Cup, and in the professional leagues at home and overseas shown their quality.”

“These players set a high standard for the players to follow. Tab by going to Spain and showing the confidence and perseverance to go through the second division and on to La Liga; John is his play in England, and certainly, Celo making his mark in Mexico, and then most importantly their pioneering contribution to the MLS.”

“In 1990 the coaches, Ralph Perez, Joe Machnick, and myself, were very impressed with the excellent potential of the young men we took to Italy for the World Cup. I was asked there if these players could play anywhere but the U.S., and I said we had at least 6 who would not only make it anywhere, but could shine! These guys did it. Not just their talent was on display, but their passion for the game and their willingness to pay the price to be successful."

About Induction 2005
The National Soccer Hall of Fame will host Induction 2005 in Oneonta, New York on August 27th - 29th. Induction Weekend kicks off on Saturday, August 27th with a Pub Night starting at 7:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, August 28th the Hall of Fame will present the 2nd Annual Hall of Fame Golf Tournament presented by Nike at the Delhi Golf Course in Delhi, New York. For those who are interested in exploring beautiful Otsego County there will a Leatherstocking Summer Sampler tour at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. The Hall of Fame will host the President's Reception & Dinner starting at 6:00 p.m. in the Hall of Fame's Museum.

The Induction Ceremony on Monday, August 29th honors three of the most identifiable players in U.S. Men's National Team history as Marcelo Balboa, John Harkes, and Tab Ramos will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame starting at 10:00 a.m. and ceremony is free of charge and open to the public in the Museum. The 2005 Hall of Fame Game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on August 29th on the Hall of Fame campus.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Golf Tournament, President's Reception & Dinner and the Hall of Fame Game are available at the Hall of Fame or by calling 1-800-545-FAME (3263).

About the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum
Located in Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a 30,000 square foot, state-of-the-art museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame tells the story of soccer in America through artifacts, photographs, and video clips. The new Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone where visitors have fun kicking, heading and playing computer trivia stations and video soccer games. The VideoWall portrays some of the greatest moments and the greatest goals in history as well as live soccer action with World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. Unique and rare artifacts on exhibit range from the world’s oldest soccer ball to the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy won by the USA in 1999, Pelé's and Mia Hamm’s uniforms, Kristine Lilly’s golden shoes, NASL championship rings, the original MLS championship trophy, MLS gallery - it’s all at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer Hall of Fame complex boasts the Kicks Zone Store, a research library, four world-class soccer fields and office/meeting facilities. The Hall plans to add a stadium, an indoor soccer arena and housing facilities in the future.

The mission of the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to celebrate the history, honor the heroes, inspire the youth and preserve the legacy of soccer in the United States.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame is open every day of the year, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Admission is $9.00 for adults, $8.00 for students, $6.50 for children 6 or older and senior citizens. Children 5 and under are free.

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