Clark Brisson Inducted into NC Soccer Hall of Fame
Jan. 30, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. –
Former University of South Carolina All-America Clark Brisson was inducted into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame at the annual induction dinner in Raleigh on Saturday, Jan. 24.
Brisson, who played for the Gamecocks from 1987-1990, was honored as part of the three-member Class of 2015 also included Clyde Simms and Josh McKenny.
Brisson, a Raleigh native, is a former first-team All-America at the University of South Carolina. McKinney, a resident of Cary, N.C., retired earlier this year after 19 years with over 100 caps with the U.S. Men’s Paralympic Team. Simms, a native of Jamestown, played seven seasons with D.C. United and the final two with the New England Revolution.
Brisson played high school soccer at Sanderson High School for Bob Catapano, a member of the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame’s Class of 1999. Brisson played on Sanderson’s teams that ran off a national record 103 games without a loss.
At South Carolina, he scored 36 goals with 26 assists, sixth and fifth, respectively, on the Gamecocks’ career lists. He played professionally both indoors and outdoors. He has been actively involved in youth player development in South Carolina since ending his professional career, and current is the Director of Coaching for the Chicago Fire Juniors City.
Simms grew up in Jamestown, and was a standout midfielder at Southeast Guilford HS, alma mater of Eddie Pope, another former D.C. United veteran and a member of the N.C. Soccer Hall of Fame. He was also a club teammate on the Jamestown Jammers with William Hesmer, who was inducted into the NCSHOF in 2013.
Simms, who played collegiate soccer at East Carolina, was a four-year letterman for the Pirates, playing in 73 games and serving as team captain in three of those seasons. He made one appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team for U.S. MNT coach Bruce Arena. He played seven MLS seasons for D.C. United, before being traded to the New England Revolution. He was a member of D.C. United’s U.S. Open Cup championship team in 2008.
Over his nine-year Major League Soccer career he played in 221 games with 185 starts. He was D.C. United’s “Iron Man” in 2010, the year he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player award. Counting his first year as a pro with the Richmond Kickers, Simms had 247 pro appearances.
McKinney earned 124 international caps over his 19 years as a member of the U.S. Paralympic team. The West Virginia native scored 81 goals over that 124-game career, and at the time of his retirement was captain of the U.S. Paralympic National Team.
