John Catliff

John Terrence Catliff... speaks English... soccer family (brother Geoff)... he was five years old when he started playing soccer for Kerrisdale Roadrunners... played rugby at the University of British Columbia... played soccer and rugby for Harvard University... favourites have included Pelé, Michael Laudrup... other favourites have included Wayne Gretzky...

honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2004... honoured by the Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia... part of the first Canadian team to reach the knock-out phase at the Olympic Games (Los Angeles 1984), recognised as a Canada Soccer Team of Distinction...

Concacaf champion (1985)... represented Canada at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games, but missed the 1986 FIFA World Cup through injury... represented Canada in three cycles of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers... represented Canada at the inaugural Concacaf Gold Cup in 1991... career 60 international appearances across 11 years from 1984 to 1994 with Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team, including 45 international "A" appearances... when he left international football in 1994, he ranked tie for fifth all-time with 60 international appearances... with the Men’s National Team, he ranked first all time with 26 international goals and second all time with 18 international “A” goals...

club career in Canada and USA... a five-time Canadian Soccer League Championship winner, once with Calgary Kickers (1987) and four times with Vancouver 86ers (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)... with Vancouver 86ers, a North American Championship winner (1990)... with Vancouver Westside FC, a Canada Soccer National Championships winner (Challenge Trophy in 1996)... with Vancouver 86ers, helped the club post a two-season, 46-game unbeaten streak from 5 June 1988 through 8 August 1989 (37 wins, nine draws)...

Catliff once said, “if somebody invents plastic knees, I’ll be the first in line”... in 2012 as part of the Canadian Soccer Association’s Centennial Celebration, was honoured on the All-Time Canada XI men’s team...

wrote coach Jape Shattuck in 1986, John was “a very large player, but his real strengths are very, very close control and tactical awareness; he’s fast, excellent in the air, and a great ball winner. He has real sort of feel for what happens in a game and an instinctual reaction to it”...