Clint Dempsey From Nacogdoches Makes National Soccer Hall of Fame

Nacogdoches, Texas native Clint Dempsey has been honored with yet another accolade.  The soccer great who retired in 2018, will be one of this year's inductees into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, located in Frisco, Texas.  The surprise announcement was broadcast on CBS Sports.

The enshrinement into the Hall of Fame will take place on Saturday, May 21.  Dempsey will join other soccer standouts Hope Solo, Shannon Boxx, Marco Etcheverry, Linda Hamilton and Esse Baharmas in this year's National Hall of Fame class.

Dempsey was born in 1983 in Nacogdoches.  He showed an interest in soccer at an early age and his parents would travel to Dallas for him to participate on an elite soccer club team.  Clint Dempsey also found success playing on the Nacogdoches Dragon High School soccer team.  He was coached by Farshid Niroumand who would later become Athletic Director at Nacogdoches High School, and who now is a member of the Nacogdoches ISD School Board.  Dempsey and Niroumand remain close friends to this day.

Growing up in Central Texas, I was not a big fan of soccer.  However, that changed when I moved to this area, and my wife and I welcomed our first child.  The first sport she wanted to play was soccer, so we enrolled her to play. I was hooked after that.  So was my daughter as she now coaches high school soccer.

When our family heard about the success of a young soccer player from Nacogdoches, we were hooked on his career as well.  Whenever the US Soccer Team was on TV playing a 'friendly' or playing in the World Cup, we would cheer for this native son of East Texas.

Read more about Clint Dempsey and his induction into the Hall of Fame here.

Congratulations, Clint!  This Hall of Fame honor is well-deserved.