David Stothard

David Stothard... his father George was born in Brandon, MB while his mother Lillian was born in Matsqui, BC... he married his wife Bonnie on 11 November 1960 (they had children Jenny, Mary, Neil, Kathy and Paul)... earned a BA from the University of British Columbia in 1959... he was 23 years old when he moved from Vancouver to Victoria in 1960... worked at the University of Victoria (Director of the Computing Centre)... earned MPH from the University of Minnesota in 1964... he was 12 years old when he started playing soccer... during Canada’s 1960 tour of the Soviet Union and Britain, wrote a series of articles for the Vancouver Province...

honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame as a player... honoured by the Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia...

represented Canada in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1957, of note the first-ever Canadian team to feature in the competition... represented Canada on the four-week tour to the Soviet Union and United Kingdom in 1960... made four international “A” appearances in 1957 with Canada Soccer's National Team…

with Westminster Royals FC, a two-time Canada Soccer Football Championship winner (Carling’s Red Cap Trophy and Challenge Trophy in 1955 and 1960)... a six-time Pacific Coast League winner (1956, 1957, 1958, 1960-61, 1966-67, 1967-68)... a Pacific Coast International Championship winner for the J.F. Kennedy Trophy (1967)... a 10-time all-star selection in a 11-year span from 1956 to 1966 (including All Canada selections in 1957 and 1960)...

wrote Roy Jukich in 1960 in the Vancouver Sun, David was “one of Canada’s finest fullbacks; (he and Buster) Cairns form a stout pair of fullbacks” for Westminster... wrote Stothard during Canada's 1960 tour in the Soviet Union, "one of the thrills of the tour so far came (17 September) when we were taken on a sight-seeing tour which concluded with a visit to Kharkov Opera House where a capacity audience enjoyed a wonderful performance of Strauss' Blue Danube ballet“... wrote the Canadian Press in 1963, he is “one of the best fullbacks in British Columbia”... wrote Jeff Cross in 1965, David was “Victoria's brilliant Jack-of-all-trades“... wrote Robin Jeffrey in 1967, Stothard was “one of Canada’s finest and most gentlemanly players”...

said Bruce Twamley in 2018, “David Stothard was a fantastic player. If he had gone to England, he would have been a top-notched player. He was great in the air, he was a good passer of the ball, a good defender. He was an exceptional player. He was no-nonsense on the field, but a true gentleman off the field”...