Background
Born just outside Boston in Brookline, Massachusetts, Gentle grew up in his hometown, attended Brookline High School.
Born just outside Boston in Brookline, Massachusetts, Gentle grew up in his hometown, attended Brookline High School.
Gentle graduated from the university"s Wharton School with a bachelor"s degree in economics in 1926.
In 1922, he entered the University of Pennsylvania where he played football as a freshman. He switched to soccer and track for his next three years at Penn, earning first team All American honors for soccer in 1924 and 1925. Player
During his time at Penn, Gentle played one game, as an amateur, with the professional Boston Wonder Workers of the American League.
Following his graduation, Gentle signed with the Philadelphia Field Club.
In 1930, Gentle was called into the United States. national team for the 1930 World Cup. Besides his duties as a striker, Gentle also acted as an interpreter for the American team and officials as he was the only person fluent in Spanish.
Coach
In 1935, Haverford College hired Gentle to coach its men"s soccer team Over six seasons, Gentle took Haverford to a 39-26-3 record and two Mid-American Conference titles.
In 1986, Gentle was inducted into the National Hall of Fame.
Gentle joined the Reserves in 1931. When the United States. entered World World War II Gentle was assigned to the 36th Infantry regiment. His unit was deployed to the European Theater where it fought at Salerno, the mountains behind Monte Cassino.
Another battle was fought at the Gari River in Italy.
Finally he joined General Patton"s forces as they moved across Europe and into the Rhineland. At the end of the war, Gentle, now a major, was named United States. trade and industry officer for the American zone of Germany.
He retired from the in 1956 in the rank of colonel. He died in 1986 in Philadelphia.
In 1931, in addition to joining Reserves, Gentle as began working at Mutual Life Insurance Company.
In addition to his military duties and athletic interests, Gentle continued to work full-time in the insurance industry.
He is a member of the National Hall of Fame. Active in student government, Gentle was his class president and a member of the Mask and Wig and Varsity Club. Later in life, Gentle became interested in golf and became a member of the International Team of the American Senior Golf Association.