Frank “Pee Wee” Wallace

A forward who was a member of the United States team in the 1950 World Cup, and also starred for St. Louis-area teams.

Wallace was among the numerous outstanding players who came out of St. Louis’ Italian section in the 1940s (his name was an Anglicized version of Valecenti). After returning from World War II, where he spent time in a POW camp, he played for the St. Louis Raiders team that was a member of the short-lived North American Soccer Football League in 1947. After that, he joined the Simpkins Ford team, and with Simpkins won U.S. Open Cup championships in 1948 and 1950.

Wallace made his debut in the U.S. national team in 1949, in the North American Championship tournament in Mexico City that decided two qualifying teams for the 1950 World Cup. He played all four games for the United States in that tournament, and scored two important goals, both against Cuba. The following year, he played in all three of the United States’ games in the World Cup in Brazil, scoring a goal against Chile.

Inducted in 1976.