William J. "Tucker" Fryer (22 July 1895 [1] – 29 August 1960) was an English-American soccer half back. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Tucker Fryer
Personal information
Date of birth (1895-06-22)22 June 1895
Place of birth Burradon, Northumberland, England[1]
Date of death 29 August 1960(1960-08-29) (aged 65)
Place of death Linden, New Jersey, USA
Position(s) Half Back
Youth career
Byker West End
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1919–1921 Barnsley 9 (0)
1921 Tebo Yacht Basin
1921–1922 Todd Shipyards 20 (3)
1922–1923 Paterson F.C. 18 (1)
1923–1924New York Giants 15 (2)
1924–1927 Fall River F.C. 70 (5)
1927–1929 Brooklyn Wanderers 7 (0)
1930–1931 Newark Americans 17 (0)
Clan Gordon
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fryer began his career with Byker West End. In 1919, he signed with Barnsley F.C. and spent two seasons with the club before leaving England for the United States. When he arrived, he signed with Tebo Yacht Basin F.C. of the New York State League. Tebo won both the league and South New York State Cup titles in 1921, but there are no records that show Fryer was with them during that period.[2] In the fall of 1921, Fryer moved to Todd Shipyards of the newly established American Soccer League. In 1922, Fryer and this teammates lost the final of the National Challenge Cup to St. Louis Scullin Steel F.C. Todd Shipyards left the league at the end of the season, and Fryer moved to Paterson F.C. Fryer and Paterson went to the 1923 National Challenge Cup final, defeating Scullin Steel for the title.[3] In 1923, Paterson was sold to new ownership which moved the team to New York, renaming it the New York Giants. Fryer began the 1923–1924 season, but was traded to the Fall River F.C. for the record fee of $1,500. He remained in Fall River until 1927 when he moved to the Brooklyn Wanderers. During his time in Fall River, Fryer won three league titles. In 1930, he moved to the Newark Americans.[4] He finished his career with the semi-professional Clan Gordon of an unknown league.

Fryer was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Census 1901. The National Archives. RG13/4791/119/51.
  2. ^ U.S. Soccer History - 1921
  3. ^ U.S. Open Cup at RSSSF
  4. ^ Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921-1931 (Hardback). The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3429-4.
  5. ^ "William Fryer - 1952 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame". William Fryer - 1952 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
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