Tommy Fleming (soccer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Cochran Turner Fleming | ||
| Date of birth | January 15, 1890 | ||
| Place of birth | Beith, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | March 19, 1965 (aged 75) | ||
| Place of death | Quincy, Massachusetts, United States | ||
| Playing position | Outside Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1901–1906 | Beith | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1906–1907 | Beith | ||
| 1907– | Fore River | ||
| Morton | |||
| 1914–1921 | Bethlehem Steel | ||
| 1921–1922 | → Philadelphia Field Club | 24 | (15) |
| 1922–1924 | J&P Coats | 49 | (41) |
| 1924–1928 | Boston Wonder Workers | 161 | (38) |
| 1928–1929 | Fall River Marksmen | 0 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| Quincy High School | |||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Thomas “Tommy” or "Whitey" Fleming (January 15, 1890 in Beith, Scotland – March 19, 1965 in Quincy, Massachusetts) was a Scottish American soccer outside forward who began his career in Scotland and finished it in the United States. During his Hall of Fame career, Fleming won five American Cups, four National Challenge Cups and at least eight league titles.
Nickname “Whitey” due to his white hair, Fleming began his career as an apprentice with Scottish Football League Third Division club Beith F.C. when he was eleven. Three years later, he quit school to devote himself full-time to his athletic career. In 1907, Beith F.C. won the Ayrshire Cup, but Fleming was becoming dissatisfied with the club. When it refused to raise his wages or release him from his contract, he decided to move to the United States.
In September 1907, Fleming arrived in Quincy, Massachusetts and went to work in the Fore River Shipyard, signing with the company team, of the New England League. The team won the 1908 league and league cup titles. At some point, Fleming returned to Scotland where he signed with Morton. In 1913, he left Scotland for good to sign with Bethlehem Steel of the amateur Allied American Football Association of Philadelphia. His move was again prompted by the issue of money. Bethlehem Steel offered players both $15 per week to play soccer and a position in the steel yard. The first game in which Fleming appears in a Bethlehem line up was a November 17, 1913 victory over Schuylkill Falls. In May, Bethlehem won the league cup. It also won the league title, giving Fleming a double. Over the next seven seasons, Fleming won four National Challenge Cups (1915, 1916, 1918, 1919). They also won the league cup in 1915. In 1917, the Steelmen joined the professional National Association Football League (NAFBL), winning the league’s last three titles (1919, 1920, 1921). They also won the defunct American Cup in 1914, 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1919. The America Cup was the American Football Association cup, played from 1884 to 1920.
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