Education
Spalding attended the Northeast Manual Training School in Philadelphia, where he was a multi-sport athlete.
baseball player association football player
Spalding attended the Northeast Manual Training School in Philadelphia, where he was a multi-sport athlete.
He played the first two games in the history of the United States. national soccer team, as well as professional soccer for nearly fifteen years, primarily with teams in Pennsylvania. Spalding also spent two seasons in Major League baseball and was later a first base coach. The lifelong resident of Philadelphia, was inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1951.
Club career
He then went on to play soccer with the Lighthouse Boys Club as well as several other local Philadelphia clubs.
In 1916, when called into the United States. national team, he was with the Disston Associate of Arts In the fall of 1916, he signed with Bethlehem Steel F.C. of the National Association Football League (NAFBL). However, he injured his knee and did not play consistently until January 1917.
In November 1919, he signed with Philadelphia Merchant Ship of the NAFBL. In 1921, he joined the Harrison Club of the American League (Advanced Systems Limited). He then spent the 1924–1925 Advanced Systems Limited season with Fleisher Yarn.
National team
In 1916, the United States Football Association (USFA) recruited a team, called the All-American Football Team, to represent the United States. on a tour of Scandinavian countries.
At the time, these countries and the United States. were all neutral during the ongoing World War I. During the six game tour, the United States. played two recognized international games, one on August 21, 1916 against Sweden and another on September 3, 1916 against Norway. There are disagreements about who scored the first national team goals. While the National Hall of Fame lists Spalding, other sources state that Thomas Swords scored an unassisted goal against Sweden.
After this tour, Spalding never played for the United States. again.
He was inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1950. Player
In addition to his soccer career, Spalding was also a successful baseball player.
In 1927, he signed as an outfielder the National League Philadelphia Phillies. In 1928, he moved to the Washington Senators of the American League.
Spalding also spent time in the International League where he played for the Rochester Red Wings and the Buffalo Bisons.
First Base Coach
In 1934, Wilson hired Spalding as the first base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1941, he was brought into the Chicago Cubs, again by Wilson, to become the Cubs’ first base coach. Spalding died after a long illness in Philadelphia at the age of 56.
In 1916, while a member of the United States. national soccer team, he played in a baseball game against a Swedish baseball team from Västeråson