I am sad to pass along the passing of Dr. Tom Fleck, "Doc".  He was
educator, genius, mentor, and friend to FYSA and many of the coaches on
our  staff. The high standards and the legacy he left us will live
forever  through the people he touched.  We have in Florida a unique
staff and much  of the family feeling credit is tied directly to the
direction he had for  us.  Many of the older staff coaches have
continued this feeling and the  willingness to stand up for what is
right for our players.  For those of you  who were not fortunate enough
to work with "Doc" a brief bio from US Youth  Soccer is below.  No
matter what is written it would only scratch the  surface of the man.   

We have lost two of our giants in my mind with Gary Barnett’s death and now
Dr. Fleck’s.  It has been a difficult year. We must continue to honor their
work through our actions and our deeds.
Dr. Thomas Fleck, long time coaching educator, died Saturday.
For more than 40 years, Dr. Thomas Fleck has fostered the physical, mental
and emotional growth and development of America’s youth through the sport of
soccer at all levels of age and competition, the mission of US Youth Soccer.
Fleck was recognized for his service as the inaugural recipient of the US
Youth Soccer Excellence in Youth Coaching Education Award in 2005. The
Excellence in Youth Coaching Education Award was designed to honor a
lifetime of dedication where one has with integrity, honor, humor and
humility made extensive and far reaching contributions to the process by
which youth soccer coaches are educated in America. The award was named
after Fleck.
"Dr. Fleck’s impact on our sport was profound," said Sam Snow, coaching
director of US Youth Soccer. "Tom educated and influenced generations of
American soccer coaches and was a pioneer in the growth of our sport during
the ’soccer boom’ of the 70’s and 80’s.  I was exceptionally fortunate to
have had Tom as a mentor and he was a close friend as well.  His passing is
a loss to soccer in the USA."
The former Youth Coordinator of the U.S. Soccer Federation, Fleck was one of
the original National Staff Coaches with U.S. Soccer and served as an
instructor for U.S. Soccer for 30 years. Recognized as the leading authority
on youth soccer development and education, Fleck was the primary author of
the National Youth License as well as the US Youth Soccer Assistant Coach
Series, The Official US Youth Soccer Coaching Manual and Parent Coach Primer
that are still used by coaches across the nation and specifically in the
various State Association coaching courses. Fleck also worked as the
director of coaching for the Florida Youth Soccer association and the Idaho
Youth Soccer Association, both proud members of US Youth Soccer.
One of the most widely recognized members of the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America (NSCAA), Dr. Fleck was presented the 2004 Honor Award
for a lifetime of service from the NSCAA, the association’s most esteemed
award, in 2005. President of the NSCAA for two years (1984-82), Fleck was
instrumental in the establishment of the NSCAA Academies, the association’s
soccer coaching education division. He served as a member of its teaching
staff for more than a quarter of a century. He also represented the U.S.
Soccer Federation as the technical advisor for the 1980 World Youth
Championship in Tunisia, as well as the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United
States. In 2004, Fleck received the Walt Chyzowych Award for Lifetime
Achievement in Coaching Education.
Fleck was the general manager of the Philadelphia Fury in the North American
Professional Soccer League from 1979 to 1982. He was a professor and head
men’s soccer coach at Lehigh University from 1965 to 1978. Fleck was a
collegiate All American at West Chester State in Pennsylvania. He was
inducted into the Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Fame in 1996.
A memorial service will be held in St. Petersburg, FL, on Saturday, January
21st.  Further details will be published on www.drfleckfoundation.com.