PENN STATE

Penn State, American soccer legend Walter Bahr dead at 91

Matt Allibone
York Daily Record
In this April 10, 2010, file photo, Walter Bahr,  the last living member of the U.S. soccer team that upset England at the 1950 World Cup,  speaks before an MLS soccer game between D.C. United and the Philadelphia Union, in Philadelphia. Bahr has died at age 91. Bahr died Monday, June 18, 2018, in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania from complications that resulted from a broken hip, according to granddaughter Lindsey D. Bahr, a film writer for The Associated Press.

United States soccer legend Walter Bahr, who served as the Penn State men's soccer coach for 14 years, has died at age 91, according to the Centre Daily Times

Bahr was the last living member of the U.S. national soccer team that defeated England, 1-0, in the 1950 World Cup. The game is considered one of the greatest upsets in the sport's history. 

In the match against England, Bahr registered the assist on the only goal when a shot he took was headed in by teammate Joe Gaetjens. A movie about the game, called "The Game of Their Lives," was released in 2005. 

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A Philadelphia native, Bahr also played for the United States in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. He played for the national team until 1957. 

After serving as head men's coach at Temple from 1970 to 1973, Bahr took the top position at Penn State in 1974 and stayed there until 1988, leading the Nittany Lions to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances. His overall college coaching record is 448-137-70.

Bahr was named NSCAA Coach of the Year in 1979 when he led Penn State to the College Cup, soccer's version of the Final Four. That same season, Jim Stamatis became the only Penn State men's player to win the Hermann Trophy, soccer's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. 

Two of Bahr's sons, Matt and Chris, played soccer for him at Penn State while also serving as kickers for the Nittany Lions football team. They went on to long NFL careers and both won two Super Bowls. Matt won once with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1979) and once with the New York Giants (1990), while Chris won two with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1980, 1983). 

Walter Bahr played on that 1950 World Cup team with John "Clarkie" Souza, who lived the last several years of his life near Dover in York County.

Souza was the best dribbler and the lungs of that team, the man some credit for saving the upset over England. He used his speed and dribbling skills to keep the ball away from the English players as the final seconds ticked away. 

Souza died in 2012. He also was 91.

Bahr, Souza and their World Cup teammates were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1976.