Neil McEachnie

Clarence Neil McEachnie... he married his first wife Gwen in 1959 (they had children)... he was remarried to wife Bonnie... he was 79 years old when he passed away on 20 January 2012... worked for BC Hydro for 35 years...

represented Canada on the four-week tour to the Soviet Union and United Kingdom in 1960 with Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team...

a two-time Pacific Coast League winner (1958, 1962-63)... a four-time all-star selection over a six-year span from 1958 to 1963 (including an All Canada selection in 1960)... over the course of his career, he scored 123 goals in the Pacific Coast Soccer League (he was the sixth player to reach the 100-goal milestone on 1 May 1963)... he was the Pacific Coast League’s fourth-highest scorer in the 1950s with 62 goals scored and fifth-highest scorer in the 1960s with 61 goals... he was St. Saviours / Vancouver City / Canadians / Burnaby Villa’s top goalscorer across their post-1939 Pacific Coast League history (99 goals scored from 1958 to 1966-67)...

said Ken Howarth in 1958 after winning the Province Cup, “I was told McEachnie was too hot to handle and to steer clear of him. Why McEachnie has been one of the easiest players to handle and what a team player he’s turned out to be!”... said McEachnie in 1961, “I was a head strong kid and quick with the fists... I (used to) swing first and ask questions later, but that’s a thing of the past. I’ll still come up swinging if rubbed the wrong way, but not quite as often”... wrote Roy Jukich in October 1961, “Neil once again has become one of the most feared centre forwards in the Pacific Coast Soccer League”... said Dan Kulai in 1961, “Neil has all the equipment to become a great centre forward. He can hit a ball with either foot with deadly accuracy and has speed to burn”...

said Metro Gerela in 2018, “Neil McEachnie was a guy who knew how to put the ball in the back of the net”... said Gary Stevens in 2018, “Neil McEachnie was tough to play against, especially in the middle of the park. As a defender, you were trying to keep him away from the goalkeeper because there was a lot of body contact in the 18-yard box”...