LINDYBERGH NUNES

A record-setting goal scorer during his playing days in New Jersey, Lindybergh Nunes proved to be even more successful when it came to coaching the game.

Born in the U.S. but raised in Brazil, Lindy made his debut with Club de Remo of Belem at the age of 15, and two years later returned to America where he played for Newark Portuguese and later with the Kearney Irish of the professional American League.

Selected to play for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1948, he was forced to withdraw from the team for financial problems, but continued to excel on the pitch as a multi-talented goal scorer. He played professionally in the American Soccer League for eight seasons, and later with the N.J. State All-Star Team.

During the 1949-50 season he scored an astounding 61 goals while playing for Maritimo of Newark in the N.J. State League.

Lindy began his coaching career in 1958 when he served as player/coach for the Newark Portuguese in the American League, the Garden State League and the Schaefer League. He coached those teams over a 12-year span, and was player-coach for the Woodbridge Hungarians in the 1971 season.

He earned legendary status in U.S. soccer during the 1976 season when he coached the New Jersey Soccer Association All-Star team to a 2-1 win over the touring National team from Uruguay, which at the time was in first place in the top professional league in Uruguay. The National team included six players who had played for Uruguay in the World Cup.

The team of New Jersey amateur stars and college players produced “the Game heard Around the World” when Carlos Velasques of Woodbridge Hungarians scored both of the New Jersey goals in the match played at Newark City Stadium.

Now retired and living in Palm Coast, Fla., Lindy Nunes still has strong tied with the New Jersey soccer community where he is remembered as a prolific goal scorer, high successful coach, and now one of its Hall of Fame inductees.