James "Jamie" Swanner is a retired United States. soccer goalkeeper and active soccer coach.
Education
Swanner attended Southwest High School in Saint Louis. After graduating from high school, Swanner attended Clemson University where he played as a goalkeeper on the men"s soccer team In 1983, his senior season, he earned first team All American honors and was named the ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year.
He also lettered in baseball at Clemson in 1983.
Career
He spent his entire professional career playing indoor soccer. High school and college National and Olympic teams After finishing his collegiate career, Swanner joined the United States. Olympic soccer team as it prepared for the 1984 Summer Olympics. Swanner earned his only cap with the United States. national team when he came on for Winston DuBose in a December 2 tie with Ecuador.
Professional When Swanner expressed his intentions to enter the pros, the Canton Invaders of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) drafted him in the first round.
He was also named to the All AISA team in 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992. He was also the league Most Valuable Player for 1989–1990 and 1991-1992.
While playing with the Invaders, the AISA was renamed as the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1990. Despite Swanner’s amazing success with the Invaders, he left the team at the end of the 1991-1992 season to join the Buffalo Blizzard of the NPSL. However, he remained with the Blizzard for only two seasons before moving to the Saint Louis Ambush in 1994 for the next six seasons.
In 1999, Swanner replaced Daryl Doran as the head coach of the Ambush.
While he had not intended to continue playing, he was forced into that role when the team’s goalkeeper was injured. The Ambush folded at the end of the 1999-2000 season and Swanner moved to the Kansas City Attack to play as a goalkeeper, but saw little playing time and retired at the end of the season. When Swanner finished his time in professional soccer, he topped the AISA/NPSL career list with 296 wins & 10 shutouts.
Other notable career stats: scored 9 goals and 98 assists (as a Goalkeeper) In November 2008, Swanner came out of retirement when he installed himself as a goalkeeper on the Saint Louis Illusion of the Professional Arena Soccer League.
Swanner is the owner of the Illusion. While Swanner had spent a year as a professional coach with the Ambush in the 1999-2000 season, that was not his first coaching experience.
In 1997, he became an assistant coach with both the Duchesne High School and Lewis and Clark Community College teams. Swanner was the co-owner of The Game, an indoor soccer arena in Glen Carbon, Illinois.
Swanner owns the Professional Arena Soccer League Saint Louis Illusion who played their games at The Game Arena in Glen Carbon, Illinois.
Membership
He was a member of the 1984 United States. Olympic soccer team and earned one cap with the United States. national team in 1984.