James Armstrong

A New York soccer official who served as general secretary of the United States Football Association for more than a decade, during the interim between two of the most famous men to hold that job, Thomas W. Cahill and Joe Barriskill.

Armstrong, who was born in England, got involved with American soccer as an official of several New York clubs, first the Brooklyn Soccer Club and then the New York Nationals and New York Giants teams of the American Soccer League. He served as secretary of the American Soccer League from 1924 to 1928, leaving that post at the time of the “Soccer War” between the ASL and the USFA.

He was named general secretary of the USFA in 1931, as American soccer was trying to recover from the end of the original ASL, and served in that position until 1943. During his tenure, he attended the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin as secretary to the United States team and was involved in the decision by the USFA not to enter the 1938 World Cup because of the looming threat of wear in Europe.

Inducted in 1952.