Stars like LeBron James and Tom Brady impress people around the world with their skills and longevity. As of Dec. 22, 2021, James is 36 and in his 18th season in the NBA, and Brady is 44 and in his 22nd season in the NFL. While he doesn’t consider himself a star, Fountain Hills resident John McCrudden, 70, is equally deserving of praise for his longevity. The former professional soccer player officially retired this past November after 60 years of playing competitive soccer.

“I was never a star,” McCrudden said. “I was one of those hard-working guys. One of the things that’s important in anybody’s career, is to know what your goals are, what your strengths are, what your limitations are, and to be able to acknowledge them and play with that.”

McCrudden grew up in New York and had just as much impact on the sport there as it had on him. In 1993, he was a founding member of his high school’s Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Kings Park Athletic Hall of Fame. McCrudden is also an inductee in the Long Island Soccer Hall of Fame.

McCrudden played college ball for Rockport State in the early ‘70s. McCrudden said his small school was a top program in soccer until the NCAA changed to Divisions I, II and III in 1973. McCrudden also played kicker on the Rockport football team and was scouted by the New York Jets at one point. Had it not been for a soccer injury, his career might have looked a lot different.

In his junior year of college, McCrudden volunteered to be a peer counselor, “And believe me, I got a lot of ribbing from the soccer players.” It was uncomfortable at times, but McCrudden grew from it and said that he tapped into his counseling experience when he got to grad school.

McCrudden’s first professional tryout was with the Boston Minutemen in 1975. He went up to visit his younger brother, Dan McCrudden, who led the Rhode Island University soccer team in scoring from 1974-77 and went on to be a first-round draft pick in the North American Soccer League and a 1980 All Star in the American Soccer League.

The Minutemen were coached by Austrian coach Hubert Vogelsinger and the team had a great American goalkeeper in Shep Messing. Vogelsinger moved McCrudden back from the front line into a defense role for tryouts, and McCrudden believes he made the cut because Messing liked the way he played defense. McCrudden vividly remembers how he found out he made the team, but he still doesn’t know why Vogelsinger did what he did.

“I was in the shower with a bunch of the guys,” McCrudden said. “Vogelsinger walks in, looks around and said, ‘that’s going to be it guys, we don’t need you anymore,’ and I thought I was one of them. He looked over at me and he said, ‘you stay.’”

After one season with Boston, McCrudden moved back to his home state to play for the New York Apollo. During the season, McCrudden received an acceptance letter into a master’s program he applied for two years prior. McCrudden sat on the idea for about a month, but he “saw the writing on the wall,” and quit professional play to pursue his other passion, mentoring and educating.

“There’s a place for everybody,” McCrudden said. “Everybody’s got a talent, they just have to discover it. So, I spend a whole lot of time in my career now talking about what I believe to be attributes that are critical to be happy and successful. Curiosity and passion. Be curious and eventually you’ll find your passion.”

Combining his two passions, McCrudden started a soccer camp on Long Island. He ran the overnight and day camp for 20 years while he earned his masters and played in semi-professional leagues for over 10 years. McCrudden received a lot of well-wishes on Facebook after his final game, and some of his former campers left nice comments, giving McCrudden a full-circle moment. One of those campers who commented was Gregg Berhalter, the current head coach of the United States Men’s National Soccer Team.

McCrudden stayed near Long Island and worked at the Long Island University South Hampton campus. When the campus closed, McCrudden and his wife sat down and talked about what to do next. McCrudden’s goal was to work for a large institution, and Arizona State University fit the bill. Terry and John McCrudden both embraced the move as a new adventure, and they have lived in Fountain Hills since they moved 16 years ago.

McCrudden worked for ASU for six years, before becoming the director of career services at Paradise Valley Community College. It didn’t take McCrudden long to find soccer leagues, and he started playing in the Scottsdale United Amateur Soccer League (SUASL) over 55 league soon after moving to Fountain Hills. He also has played in the Soccer in Sun tournament, and his team won the Harvest Cup in 2020. He played his last game with SUASL on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, 10 days before McCrudden turned 70.

“I was giving up 10-15 years to some of the guys and I lost my speed and my agility, and so it was time for me to go,” McCrudden said. “I was walking away after the games, not feeling fulfilled. Every athlete has to face that. If it’s not by injury where you’re forced out, then it happens just organically.”

Retiring from soccer is one of the hardest things McCrudden has ever done. On Oct. 14, 1990, a Newsday article reported that McCrudden was almost ready to retire at 38, and that the 1990-91 Long Island Soccer Football League was to be his last. McCrudden’s career extended much longer than he ever anticipated, and he credits his health to a combination of luck and hard work.

McCrudden has kicked a soccer ball around a court during his lunch breaks for the last several years, but he said the day before his 70th birthday was his last time doing that, and now he’s going back to weight training and conditioning. McCrudden recently hiked Sunrise Mountain and is looking forward to more hiking, biking and racquetball. McCrudden says that he’ll retire from work only when his wife is ready to retire also.