Jimmy McAlister

{{Short description|American soccer player and coach}} {{similar names|James McAllister (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Use American English|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name= Jimmy McAlister | image = | fullname = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|5|4}} | birth_place = [[Seattle, Washington]], United States | height = {{height|ft=5|in=8}} | position = [[defender (association football)|Defender]] | years1 = 1976–1979 | years2 = 1979–1980 | years3 = 1980 | years4 = 1981–1983 | years5 = 1982–1983 | years6 = 1983–1986 | years7 = 1989 | clubs1 = [[Seattle Sounders (1974–83)|Seattle Sounders]] | clubs2 = [[Buffalo Stallions]] ''(indoor)'' | clubs3 = [[Toronto Blizzard (1971–84)|Toronto Blizzard]] | clubs4 = [[San Jose Earthquakes (1974–88)|San Jose Earthquakes]] | clubs5 = [[San Jose Earthquakes (1974–88)|Golden Bay Earthquakes]] ''(indoor)'' | clubs6 = [[Tacoma Stars (MISL)|Tacoma Stars]] ''(indoor)'' | clubs7 = [[Seattle Storm (soccer)|Seattle Storm]] | caps1 = 79 | caps2 = 31 | caps3 = 8 | caps4 = 60 | caps5 = 3 | caps6 = 106 | goals1 = 2 | goals2 = 9 | goals3 = 0 | goals4 = 0 | goals5 = 0 | goals6 = 11 | nationalyears1 = 1977–1979 | nationalteam1 = [[USMNT|United States]] | nationalcaps1 = 6 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | manageryears1 = 1988 | managerclubs1 = [[Tacoma Stars (MISL)|Tacoma Stars]] | manageryears2 = 2000–2005 | managerclubs2 = [[Decatur High School (Federal Way, Washington)|Decatur High School]] | manageryears3 = 2006 | managerclubs3 = [[Hibernian Saints]] }} '''Jimmy McAlister''' (born May 4, 1957) is a U.S. [[soccer]] [[defender (association football)|defender]] during the 1970s and 1980s. He was the 1977 NASL Rookie of the Year and earned six [[cap (sports)|caps]] with the [[USMNT|U.S. national team]].

==Player==

===Professional=== McAlister was born in [[Seattle]] where he attended John F. Kennedy High School. When he graduated in 1976, the [[Seattle Sounders (1974–83)|Seattle Sounders]] of the [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]] immediately signed him to play left back. McAlister saw time in only two first team games in 1976, spending most of his time in the reserve team. In 1977, he became an integral part of a strong Sounders team which went to the NASL [[Soccer Bowl|championship]] only to lose to the [[Pelé]]-led [[New York Cosmos (1971–85)|New York Cosmos]]. McAlister's defensive abilities led to Pelé trading his jersey with McAlister at the end of the game. His outstanding season led to McAlister receiving NASL Rookie of the Year. McAlister spent one more season with Seattle before being traded to [[Toronto Blizzard (1971–84)|Toronto Blizzard]]. Before moving to Toronto, he spent the 1979–1980 [[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]] season with the [[Buffalo Stallions]]. After one year in Toronto, he moved, this time to the [[San Jose Earthquakes (1974–88)|San Jose Earthquakes]]. While in San Jose, he played in both the NASL and the [[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]] (MISL) as the Earthquakes jumped between the two leagues. When the [[Tacoma Stars (MISL)|Tacoma Stars]] was established as an MISL franchise in 1983, McAlister moved back home. He remained with the Stars through the 1985–1986 season.

===National team=== McAlister earned six [[cap (sports)|caps]] with the [[United States men's national soccer team]] between 1977 and 1979. His success with the Sounders brought McAlister to the attention of the national team. He earned his first cap in a September 18, 1977 loss to [[Guatemala national football team|Guatemala]]. He then played only sporadically over the next two years with his last cap coming in a February 11, 1979 loss to the [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]].<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesu/usa-intres-det70.html USA – Details of International Matches 1970–1979] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205054634/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesu/usa-intres-det70.html |date=February 5, 2010}}</ref>

==Coach== McAlister retired from the [[Tacoma Stars (MISL)|Tacoma Stars]] in 1986. He then became the team's Special Events Manager. On February 23, 1988, McAlister was named head coach after the Stars fired [[Alan Hinton]].<ref>"MCALISTER TO COACH STARS- CHURSKY RETAINED AS ASSISTANT COACH" '' THE SEATTLE TIMES'' Tuesday, February 23, 1988</ref> McAlister took the Stars to the playoffs where they fell in the first round to the [[San Diego Sockers (1974–96)|San Diego Sockers]]. New ownership took over the team during the 1988 off-season and brought Hinton back in as coach. In 2000, McAlister became the head coach of the [[Decatur High School (Federal Way, Washington)|Decatur High School]] boys soccer team. The next season, he coached them to an undefeated season and the Washington State 4A championship. McAlister was head coach of professional club [[Hibernian Saints]] in 2006. He also served on the coaching staff of Washington Premier Football Club in Tacoma, Washington where alongside [[Gary Heale]], he took the club's United States Soccer Development Academy team to the USSF national finals, taking 5th place. In January 2010, he returned to the city where he made his mark as a professional player, becoming the Director of Coaching of the Seattle United youth soccer club,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.seattleunited.com/doclib/McAlister_PR.pdf |title="Jimmy McAlister Selected as Director of Coaching for Seattle Youth Soccer's Unified Advanced Development Club" |access-date=January 9, 2010 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212834/http://www.seattleunited.com/doclib/McAlister_PR.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> as part of a coaching leadership team that also includes Technical Director and ex-Seattle Sounder [[Jason Farrell]].<ref>[http://www.seattleunited.com/doclib/Farrell_PR.pdf "Jason Farrell Selected as Technical Director for Seattle Youth Soccer's Unified Advanced Development Club"]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://soundercentral.com/museum/1977updates/Soccer%20Bowl%201977/jimmy_mcalister_1977_rookie.htm 1977 Sounders bio] * [http://soundercentral.com/museum/1978updatesDec03/jimmy_mcallister_1978_seattle_so.htm 1978 Sounders feater] * [http://nasljerseys.com/Players/M/McAlister.Jim.htm NASL/MISL stats]

{{DEFAULTSORT:McAlister, Jim}} [[Category:1957 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American soccer coaches]] [[Category:American men's soccer players]] [[Category:American expatriate men's soccer players in Canada]] [[Category:Buffalo Stallions players]] [[Category:Seattle Storm (soccer) players]] [[Category:Men's association football defenders]] [[Category:Golden Bay Earthquakes (MISL) players]] [[Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches]] [[Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players]] [[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players]] [[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players]] [[Category:Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players]] [[Category:San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players]] [[Category:Soccer players from Seattle]] [[Category:Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players]] [[Category:Tacoma Stars players]] [[Category:United States men's international soccer players]] [[Category:Western Soccer Alliance players]] [[Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) commentators]] [[Category:High school soccer coaches in the United States]] [[Category:Tacoma Stars coaches]] [[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]