Dave Morrison (soccer)

Dave Morrison
Morrison in 1979
Personal information
Date of birth (1957-02-03) February 3, 1957
Place of birth Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position Goalkeeper
Youth career
1975–1978 Cal State Fullerton Titans
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979 Los Angeles Aztecs 1 (0)
1979–1980 Los Angeles Aztecs (indoor) 11 (0)
1980 Los Angeles Aztecs 5 (0)
1980–1981 Los Angeles Aztecs (indoor) 2 (0)
1982–1983 Garden Grove Galactica 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dave Morrison (born February 3, 1957) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the Los Angeles Aztecs.

Early life and college career

Born in Seattle, Washington, Morrison grew up in Livermore and Fountain Valley, California.[1]

Morrison played collegiate soccer for the Cal State Fullerton Titans from 1975 through 1978 in the division I Southern California Intercollegiate Soccer Association (SCISA) conference.[1][2] He became one of the program's earliest players to advance to the professional ranks. During his time with the Titans, he was highly praised by head coach Dennis Checkett, who remarked that Morrison "could become the best goalkeeper ever to come out of California, he's that good." In late 1976, his collegiate success earned him a feature on the cover of the November/December issue of the university's sports magazine, ''titanSports''.[1]

Professional career

He signed with the Los Angeles Aztecs of the NASL in 1979 playing under legendary Dutch manager Rinus Michels until 1980. Primarily a backup goalkeeper, he appeared in limited action across outdoor and indoor seasons.

In 1979, he made one outdoor appearance (recording a shutout) and 11 indoor appearances. In 1980, he had five outdoor appearances and two indoor appearances and one assist.[3]

A memorable professional moment came during the 1980 NASL postseason against the Edmonton Drillers. Michels substituted Morrison into the match specifically for the NASL's signature 35-yard breakaway shootout. Morrison made a critical save during the shootout, securing a crucial playoff victory for the Aztecs.[1][4]

Overall, he recorded six outdoor league appearances and 13 indoor appearances with the Aztecs.[3][5]

Morrison had a brief appearance with the Garden Grove Galactica in the Southern California Pro Soccer League during the 1982–83 season.[3]

Post-playing career

Morrison dedicated significant efforts to preserving the history of the North American Soccer League (NASL). In 2006, he launched nasljerseys.com, a comprehensive online archive featuring jerseys, rosters, photographs, team histories, and player profiles for every NASL club from 1968 to 1984.[6]

Career statistics

Year League Team GP Min GA GAA SVS CS
1979 NASL Los Angeles Aztecs 1 — 0 — 0 1
1979–80 NASL Indoor Los Angeles Aztecs 11 593 67 6.78 178 0
1980 NASL Los Angeles Aztecs 5 — 5 — 0 2
1980–81 NASL Indoor Los Angeles Aztecs 2 45 11 14.67 5 0
1982–83 SCPSL Garden Grove Galactica 1 — — — — —
Total 20 638 83 7.81 183 3

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Cal State Fullerton Soccer Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  2. ↑ "2004 TITAN MEN'S SOCCER" (PDF). 2004 Cal State Fullerton Men's Soccer Media Guide. Amazonaws. 2004. pp. 23, 28.
  3. 1 2 3 "NASL-Dave Morrison". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  4. ↑ Rufe, Don (September 3, 1980). "Sub goalkeeper makes surprise LA contribution". St. Petersburg Times. p. 10. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Dave Morrison soccer Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ "NASLJERSEYS.com". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
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