T. Richard Terry
T. Richard Terry is a soccer coaching consultant specializing in game tactics and goalkeeper training. Terry earned an undergraduate degree in physical education at Cortland State and a master’s degree in physical education at Pennsylvania State University. Since then, he has amassed more than 25 years of experience playing and coaching soccer. Terry initiated a successful new soccer program at Castleton State College in Vermont, despite having been introduced to soccer only five years earlier as a college sophomore. Half of the players on his first team had never seen a soccer game. Fourteen years later, his soccer teams had won 125 games, lost 44, and tied 7. They had one undefeated season, two conference championships, and three New England NAIA District Championships, and had competed in three NAIA National Championships, finishing third twice and first once. This success was accomplished with no foreign players and no athletic scholarships. At various stages of his career, Terry was also athletic director, professor of physical education, and a coach for six other sports. He established the Vermont Amateur Soccer League, an adult summer league, which began with four teams and expanded to more than 36 teams throughout Vermont and Northern New York. He has advised soccer coaches at all levels of the sport and some of his players have applied his lessons in their own soccer coaching. Former players have combined for more than 1,000 soccer wins at the high school and college levels. These players have coached at Thomas College, St. Francis College (now University of New England), and Southampton College. One coach led teams to five state high school championship finals, winning three straight. A student of the game, Terry has watched some of the best players in the world compete, including Pelé, Djalma Santos, Maradona, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Franz Beckenbauer, Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Gordon Banks, and Eusébio. What he learned from watching them helped him develop his soccer coaching system. He has been honored with state coaches’ and officials’ awards and the New England Soccer Coaches’ Honor Award, Mayflower Conference Award, and an NAIA District Award. He was selected for Hall of Fame Induction at Castleton and Cortland, and the Castleton soccer field was dedicated in his honor. Terry lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida with his wife, Teri, and they summer in St. Albans Bay, Vermont. They have two sons, two daughters, and six grandsons.
