Walter Bahr
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walter Alfred Bahr | ||
| Date of birth | April 1, 1927 | ||
| Place of birth | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Philadelphia Nationals | |||
| – | Uhrik Truckers | ||
| – | Philadelphia United German-Hungarians | ||
| National team | |||
| 1948–1957 | United States | 19 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1958–1963 | Philadelphia Spartans | ||
| 1964–1969 | Philadelphia Ukrainians | ||
| 1970–1973 | Temple Owls | ||
| 1974–1988 | Penn State Nittany Lions | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Walter Alfred Bahr (born April 1, 1927) is a retired American soccer player, considered one of the greatest ever in his country. He was the long-time captain of the U.S. national team and played in the 1950 FIFA World Cup when the U.S. defeated England 1–0. Bahr's three sons Casey, Chris, and Matt, all played professional soccer in the defunct North American Soccer League. Casey and Chris also played for the U.S. Olympic team, and Chris and Matt later became placekickers in the National Football League, each earning two Super Bowl rings.
Bahr, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began playing soccer at the age of 11 and joined the Philadelphia Nationals of the professional American Soccer League as an amateur player. He was paid a great compliment during the Scottish national team tour of the U.S. in 1949 by former Scottish international Tommy Muirhead, who wrote in the Glasgow Daily Mail, "Bahr is good enough to play for any First Division team in the United Kingdom."
After participating in the 1948 Summer Olympics, Bahr turned professional and helped his club win ASL titles in 1950, 1951, 1953, and 1955. He then switched to the Uhrik Truckers, another team in the Philadelphia area, and won the ASL title in 1956. Professional soccer players at that time made little money, however, and Bahr also was a high school teacher during his playing years. In the late 1960s and through the 70's Bahr was a Physical Education teacher at Frankford High School in Philadelphia. He also coached the soccer team.
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