On a plaque in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium, in big, bold
letters, Mickey Mantle is described as a great teammate. Of all
Mantle's great accomplishments, that's how he wanted to best be
remembered.
A great teammate also describes Alan King. Both Alan Kings,
actually: the longtime head coach who retired following the 1991
season and who became a member of the WPI Athletic Hall of Fame in
1987, and the younger version, a member of the Class of 1976.
Alan King '76 was one of the fiercest competitors at WPI, no
matter the sport. A gritty soccer player (just like his coach and
namesake), he played an important part in the finest era in WPI's
men's soccer history.
Led by father and son, WPI's teams finished 11-2-1 in the fall
of 1974 and 9-3-1 in 1975. Alan was surrounded by some great
talent, but he was the driving force, the unquestioned leader, and
the player who could best be counted upon in crucial situations.
One story that won't be soon forgotten is what transpired in the
final moments of a game played at Coast Guard. It was during a
driving rainstorm. The field was saturated, and good footing was at
a premium. The clock was winding down in a scoreless tie. Suddenly,
Alan found the ball at his feet just a few yards away from the
goal. As the goalkeeper lunged for it, Alan "accidentally" stepped
onto one of the goalkeeper's hands with one foot. And with his
other foot, he turned and calmly knocked the ball home for the
winning goal.
In Alan's freshman and sophomore years, he scored 9 goals and 5
assists. As a junior, his fabulous scoring season saw 16 goals and
6 assists, both single-season highs over his career, for 38 points.
The next year, he accumulated 14 goals and 5 assists for 33 points.
By the time he graduated, Alan was WPI's all-time leading
point-scorer with 94 (today he is second, behind Greg Tucker's
127). He's the third all-time leading goal-scorer with 39 (behind
Tucker's 49 and Jim Viele's 40).
After graduation, Alan went on to play professionally for
several clubs, sometimes teaming with his father and brothers. He
was with clubs in the Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey open
leagues, followed by stints in Florida and Kentucky. He's now
playing in an over-40 league in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
Currently, Alan is a work production manager for production
processes at Air Products and Chemical Inc. He is currently in
Asia, where he is overseeing many projects in several different
countries.
For all his impressive credentials, it is indeed an honor to
induct another Alan King into the WPI Athletic Hall of Fame.
