Hall of Fame
It's not often that an athlete has a distinguished international career before enrolling in a university, but that's the story of Roby Young ('71).
Prior to coming to the United States, Young had a distinguished soccer career that included over 50 caps for the Israeli national team. As captain of the Israeli squad during its "Golden Age," Young paced the Israeli team to its best-ever finish in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City -- the quarterfinals -- and was flag-bearer for his country.
He later led Israel to qualify for the FIFA World Cup (held in Mexico City in 1970), and spent a total of 12 years with his country's national team.
After representing Israel in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, Young accepted a scholarship offer from Dr. Mel Less, then-coach at Adelphi.Â
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Young played in the German-American League with the Hota Bavarians and then for the New York Cosmos, a professional team in the North American Soccer League, the predecessor of the current MLS.
On Jan. 1, 2000, Young was named the Soccer Player of the Millennium in his native Israel. Young retired from professional soccer at age 31 in 1973, after which he returned to Israel for several years to coach professionally at Macabbi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Haifa.
