Benny McLaughlin

Bernard "Benny" McLaughlin Jr. (April 10, 1928 – December 27, 2012) He then attended Temple University, where he was a 1946 first team All American soccer player. In 1979, Temple University inducted McLaughlin into its Hall of Fame.

Olympic and national team In 1948, McLaughlin was a member of the U.S. Olympic soccer team which competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics. However, the experience was not a pleasant one, as the U.S. lost 9–0 to Italy. McLaughlin then went on to play for the U.S. national team. His first game with the senior team came in another bruising loss, this time an 11–0 defeat at the hands of Norway on August 6, 1948. In those years, the national team played only a handful of games a year, but McLaughlin saw time in nearly all of them. In 1949, he was integral to the U.S. as it qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. He was selected to the finals squad, but did not travel with the team to the tournament because he was unable to get time off from work and was planning his wedding. Despite that, McLaughlin continued to play with the national team until 1957. According to FIFA.com, his last game in a FIFA competition came against Mexico in a 7–2 defeat in April 1957.

Post-playing career McLaughlin spent his post-playing life in Philadelphia, where he worked for the city of Philadelphia and in the private sector. He had six children and 12 grandchildren.

In 1977, McLaughlin was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In March 2008, he was inducted into the Northeast Catholic High School Soccer Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Southeast Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Fame and the Temple University Sports Hall of Fame.

He died on December 27, 2012, at age 84, in West Chester, Pennsylvania.