Broadcaster Bobby McMahon got in touch from the USA with a story about former Aberdeen goalkeeper Bobby Clark.
He opened: “I no longer do work for Fox Soccer in the US.
“When they lost the rights to the Premier League, a decision was made to close the station and replace it with two general sport networks — Fox Sports 1 and 2.
“I still write regular columns for Forbes.com and guest on radio shows and podcasts from time to time.
“My accent stands out for Gregg Lemkau and Chad Riley as a reminder their playing days under the guidance of current University of Notre Dame men’s soccer head coach Bobby Clark.
“Steady and firm, blanketed in a thickly-knit Scottish brogue, Clark’s is a voice rarely raised in anger, if ever.
“It’s a voice that can be stern, yet also be an arm around the shoulder.
“It’s a voice that inspires collegiate soccer players to embark on a journey of inquiry, a voice that helps arm them with skills to slice through the wilderness of the world long after the cheers of the soccer field have faded away.
“Lemkau played soccer for Clark at Dartmouth College when the Clark era there started.
“The Big Green hadn’t enjoyed a winning season in six years before Clark arrived. When Clark left after nine seasons, Dartmouth had three Ivy League titles and two appearances in the NCAA elite eight.
“Riley played soccer for Clark at Notre Dame, where the Irish were coming off a losing season when Clark arrived. Notre Dame went from an RPI of 111 in Riley’s freshman season to an RPI of five when Riley was a senior.
“In 2013, Clark and his Fighting Irish raised a national championship banner.”
A new coaching school under Clark’s name has now emerged, as Bob continued: “Clark, Lemkau and Riley are now united in a remarkable gesture of generosity. Lemkau, who graduated from Dartmouth in 1991, and his wife Kate created the Bobby Clark Head Coach of Men’s Soccer position at Dartmouth through an endowment of $2 million.
“Riley is the head coach of the Dartmouth men’s soccer programme.”
Clark said of the endowment that is in his name: “It says a lot about Gregg as a person.
“Most people would have grabbed that opportunity to put their name on it — and rightly so. That’s what I would have expected.
“For Gregg to do this, I’m very indebted to him to be remembered from that group of guys.
The former Don continued: “It’s very big of him, very generous of him. I’m glad I made an impression on that group. They’ve all gone on and done extremely well.
“That’s the most rewarding thing for a teacher, to look back and see that all of them have gone on and done so well, in all kind of different fields, doctors, engineers, in teaching, and as coaches.”
Lemkau, the co-head of Global Mergers and Acquisitions for Goldman Sachs, offered: “Bobby Clark was, first and foremost, a teacher, a teacher of the game and a teacher of life.
“He was never a yeller or a screamer. He clearly had the credibility, having played at such a high level.
“He was extraordinarily technical in his coaching, both from the little things, how to play the position, as well as a tactician around the game.
“He had a great feel for the game, even from a goalkeeper’s perspective.
“He was inspiring without yelling. You just wanted to do well for him.
“He always had the right little bit of wisdom, or Scottish saying, or right motivation at the right point in time for each player, and was very focused on not just the starting 11 players but the full 18-man squad.”
Riley, who also served as an assistant coach for Clark, said the ex-Aberdeen man’s demeanour has him standing a cut above the rest.
“One of the biggest differences with him was he didn’t yell at you,” Riley said of Clark.
“Most athletes are used to growing up with coaches who, for better or worse, are yelling at you. He never really had to do that.
“He had very high standards and was very demanding but there was never yelling.
“He wanted you to be internally motivated. He was very good about that. That’s very hard to do as a coach.
“For me, he’s really the model of what a modern-day high-level competitive collegiate coach can do.”
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