Themis Rigas

Themis Rigas
Personal information
Date of birth 1945
Place of birth Patras, Greece
Date of death 13 January 1984(1984-01-13) (aged 38–39)
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position Winger
Youth career
1960–1962 Apollon Athens
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1963 Panachaiki
1963–1964 Olympiakos Patras
1964–1965 Panachaiki
1965–1967 Thyella Patras
1967–1973 Panachaiki 83 (12)
1973 New York Apollo
1974 → Toronto Homer (loan)
1974–1976 Panachaiki 58 (9)
1976 Toronto Metros-Croatia[1] 10 (0)
1976–1977 Patrai
1977–1979 Panachaiki 24 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Themis Rigas (Greek: Θέμης Ρήγας; 1945 – 13 January 1984), popularly nicknamed The Train, was a Greek footballer born in Patras. One of the fastest and most talented wingers of his generation, he was a member of the Panachaiki football team that impressed Greece in the 1970s and qualified for the 1974 UEFA Cup.[2]

Career

Greece

Rigas began his career with Panachaiki's youth team and graduated to the senior team in 1962, which competed in the Beta Ethniki.[3] In his initial stages with Panachaiki, he had loan spells with Olympiakos Patras and Thyella Patras.[3]

In 1973, while Panachaiki was competing in the Alpha Ethniki, he helped the club secure a berth for the 1973–74 UEFA Cup.[4] Rigas would appear in the continental tournament, where FC Twente eliminated them.[4]

He had 165 First Division appearances for Panachaiki and scored 23 goals.[3]

United States

In the summer of 1973, he played in the American Soccer League with the New York Apollo.[5]

Canada

In 1974, he played abroad in the National Soccer League with Toronto Homer.[6] Rigas scored his first pair of goals for Toronto on May 5, 1974, against the Quebec Selects.[7] He helped the club secure a playoff berth by finishing second in the league standings.[8]

In 1976, Rigas returned to Canada, where he signed with the Toronto Metros-Croatia of the North American Soccer League.[9][10] He debuted for Toronto on 16 May 1976, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, where he contributed an assist.[11] Rigas was named to the league's team of the week on 25 May 1976.[12] His stint with Toronto was brief as he was placed on waivers in July 1976.[13]

Death

Rigas died in a domestic accident in 1984, at the age of 39, leaving behind him the family of Panachaiki without one of their most eminent members.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ "NASL-Themis Rigas".
  2. ↑ rsssf
  3. 1 2 3 "Θέμης Ρήγας: Ξεχωριστός εντός και εκτός αγωνιστικού χώρου | ΕΙΔΗΣΕΙΣ" [Themis Rigas: Outstanding on and off the field]. Peloponnese Newsroom (in Greek). 13 January 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Η έξοδος της Παναχαϊκής στην Ευρώπη που άφησε τα ίχνη για να πατήσουν οι υπόλοιποι!" [Panachaiki's exit to Europe that left a mark for the rest to follow!]. bankingnews.gr (in Greek). 29 June 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Wings wing in finale". The Morning News. 27 August 1973. p. 27.
  6. ↑ "Eagles, Homer stay unbeaten, tie 1-1 before 10,951 fans". The Globe and Mail. 20 May 1974. p. S8.
  7. ↑ "Homer blanks Selects". The Montreal Star. 6 May 1974. pp. B11.
  8. ↑ Kernaghan, Jim (2 October 1974). "Serbian Toast of the NSL - Stern Test for National Team". Toronto Star. pp. C8.
  9. ↑ "Two new players in Metros' lineup". The Globe and Mail. 15 May 1976. p. 51.
  10. ↑ Kernaghan, Jim (8 May 1976). "Play Washington tomorrow - A revolving door for Metros' room". Toronto Star. pp. D3.
  11. ↑ Waring, Ed (17 May 1976). "Tampa players homesick for England but few Metro fans notice". The Globe and Mail. pp. S7.
  12. ↑ Mudry, Richard (25 May 1976). "Derek, Marsh take aim on Pele's league lead". The Tampa Times. p. 12.
  13. ↑ Kernaghan, Jim (8 July 1976). "Is Eusebio Getting a Subtle Bum's Rush?". Toronto Star. pp. C1.
  14. ↑ "40 χρόνια χωρίς τον ανεπανάληπτο Θέμη Ρήγα... - Ποδόσφαιρο" [40 years without the inimitable Themis Rigas...]. THE BEST (in Greek). 13 January 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "Θέμης Ρήγας: Σαν σήμερα πέθανε το "τραίνο" της Παναχαϊκής" [Themis Rigas: Today the Panachaiki "train" died]. matchnews.gr. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.

Notes

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.