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 The inaugural induction class of the Madison Area Soccer Hall of Fame will be enshrined Saturday night at the Claddagh Irish Pub in Middleton. The public is invited to attend the gathering to honor the seven men and one woman in the charter class. (Listen to promotional ad)
Six of the individuals are being inducted in part as builders of soccer in the area: Jose Asturias, Keith Binns, Peter Bostanescu and Klaus Feller were selected as players and builders, with Graham "Gray" Perrett and Alma Taeuber as builders, too. Jim Launder will be inducted in the coach category, while Bill Reddan was chosen as a player and coach.
Here's a look at the eight charter members, who will be honored with plaques in a display at Reddan Soccer Park in Verona:
Jose Asturias
Category: Player and builder.
Asturias was a goalkeeper for the Madison Soccer Club in the early 1960s and later founded the Monona Internationals, who played in the Capitol Division for many years. For the past three decades, he has coached at the club and high school level.
Keith Binns
Category: Player and builder.
A native of Leeds, England, Binns moved to Madison in 1955. He was a founding member of the Madison Soccer Club (1956), Madison United Soccer Club (1970), the Madison Area Youth Soccer Association (1966) and the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association (1976), and also formed the city's first girls soccer team at Madison Memorial High School in 1974. In recent years, Binns was still playing at age 75.
Peter Bostanescu
Category: Player and builder.
Bostanescu also was a founding member of the Madison Soccer Club, which later became the Madison 56ers, and helped get the city's first soccer field built at Franklin Field. He also was the games commissioner for the Wisconsin Soccer Association's Capitol Region, and was inducted into the WSA Hall of Fame in 1987.
Klaus Feller
Category: Player and builder.
The late Feller played for the Madison Soccer Club/56ers from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, was a founding member of MAYSA and served on the group's Board into the 1980s, and was the games commissioner for the WSA. Feller, who was enshrined in the WSA Hall of Fame in 1989, was given a special commendation from then-Gov. Lee Dreyfus in 1981 for his work with youth soccer.
Jim Launder
Category: Coach.
A Milwaukee native, Launder probably is best-known in the Madison area for his 15 years as coach of the University of Wisconsin men's team, a tenure that included the program's only NCAA championship in 1995 and a 193-80-35 overall record. Launder has coached on nearly every level, men and women, youth to professional, and currently coaches the Madison 56ers' National Premier Soccer League team in addition to his role as the WYSA Director of Coaching.
Graham "Gray" Perrett
Category: Builder.
The late Perrett was a native of England, but graduated from Madison Central High School in 1955 before becoming a founding member of the Madison Soccer Club. After an injury ended his playing career as a goalkeeper, Perrett turned his attention to coaching and formed the Amira Soccer Club, which played in the WSA Major League, and served as the commissioner of the WSA Capitol Region. A 1990 WSA Hall of Fame inductee, Perrett passed away in February 2008.
Bill Reddan
Category: Player and coach.
Another founding member of the Madison Soccer Club, Reddan has made a lasting impression on soccer in the area. He created the UW men's program in 1964 and coached it until it gained varsity status in 1977, then was the Badgers' coach for their first five seasons (49-27-9). Each year, the UW men's team honors a player with the William G. Reddan Spirit of Soccer Award, which is presented to the player who best exemplifies his positive spirit of soccer. Reddan was inducted into the WSA Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Madison Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Alma Taeuber
Category: Builder.
The late Taeuber, a Seattle native who passed away in March, was Madison's original "soccer mom." She founded the Regent Soccer Club in 1972, led the club for 20 years and also served on the MAYSA Board. Regent initially had about 60 players; the club is now the second-largest in MAYSA with approximately 1,200 players. The soccer field at Vilas Park, in the neighborhood where she lived, is named in her honor.
For more information, visit the Madison Area Soccer Hall of Fame Web site.
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