In Frisco, Texas on Saturday, May 3, the National Soccer Hall of Fame (NSHOF) honored its newest inductees.
Also honored in a Special Recognition segment was longtime SASH member Roger Allaway, who has stepped down from maintaining the Hall’s eligibility records after twenty-five years of service (presentation begins at 54:12 in the video above).
NSHOF executive director Djorn Buchholz introduced Allaway as someone “who has shaped this Hall of Fame in immeasurable ways.” Describing Allaway as “a fixture in the world of American soccer history for decades,” Buchholz added, “As an author, a researcher, a historian, Roger has helped preserve the legacy of our sport with extraordinary care and passion. His writing has given life to stories that might otherwise have been forgotten.”
Buchholz then described Allaway’s quarter century “as the guardian of our Hall of Fame eligibility process.”
“Quietly behind the scenes Roger has maintained the records, managed the lists, and made sure that every single person who appears on a ballot truly belongs there. And he’s done it with remarkable dedication. For years Roger kept the Hall of Fame eligibility list on a computer that’s never once been connected to the internet. No Wi-Fi, no cloud backups, no shared drives — and no need for a firewall because Roger was the firewall. It was old school meticulous and absolutely reliable, just like Roger.”
While Allaway may be officially passing the torch, Buchholz quipped, “we suspect he’ll still be quietly fact-checking us from afar.”
“Roger on behalf of all of us — the staff, the inductees, the historians, and the fans — thank you for your decades of service, for your relentless pursuit of accuracy, for preserving the soul of this game. We are honored to present you with this award today in recognition of everything you’ve done and everything you’ve meant to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.”
SASH president Kevin Tallec Marston said of the NSHOF recognizing Allaway, “Without a doubt, Roger Allaway laid the groundwork for so much of the history of soccer in the United States that has been written in the last twenty years. This award is a testament to his careful curation of archives (which will be made available through University of Massachusetts Amherst’s collections), his BigSoccer.com column (now reproduced on the SASH website) and his generosity in replying to so many aspiring writers and historians of the game.”
Former SASH president Tom McCabe said, “Historians of U.S. soccer history stand on the broad shoulders of Roger Allaway. From his work for the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the Society for American Soccer History, and from his journalism to his book writing, he has done so much to preserve and chronicle our game. Congratulations!”
Elected into the 2025 NSHOF Class via the Player Ballot were Carli Lloyd and Nick Rimando. Elected via the Veterans Ballot were Chris Armas and Mary Harvey. Mark Abbott entered the HOF via the Builder Ballot.
Receiving the Colin Jose Media Award, named after longtime SASH member and frequent Roger Allaway co-author Colin Jose, was Bob Ley. Jose passed away in September 2024.