Ken Pears (CAN)
Canada Soccer Hall of Fame
| Phonetic: | PEERS |
| Date of birth: | 1934-04-12 |
| Age | 85 |
| Birthplace: | Vancouver, BC, CAN |
| Raised: | Vancouver, BC, CAN |
| Height: | 180 cm |
| All Positions: |
Hall of Fame honoured member Goalkeeper |
| Team Honours: | 4x Canada Soccer Championship winner (1953, 1956, 1964, 1965), 7x Pacific Coast League winner (1952-53, 1954-55, 1958, 1961-62, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66), Western Canada Soccer League winner (1969), 2x Pacific Coast International Championship (1962, 1967) |
| International "A" totals: | #CANMNT |
| Appearances: | 4 |
| Starts: | 4 |
| Goals: | 0 |
| Assists: | 0 |
| Clean Sheets: | 0 |
Profile Text Last Updated 2018-07-28
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Notes
Kenneth Pears... worked for the Vancouver Fire Department...
a four-time Canada Soccer Championship winner (1953, 1956, 1964, 1965), a seven-time Pacific Coast League winner (1952-53, 1954-55, 1958, 1961-62, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66), and one-time Western Canada Soccer League winner (1969)... a two-time Pacific Coast International Championship for the J.F. Kennedy Trophy (1962, 1967)... a 12-time all-star selection in a 14-year span from 1952 to 1965 (including All Canada selections in 1956, 1957 and 1960)... in 2000, was part of the inaugural class honoured by The Soccer Hall of Fame (one of 11 former players)...
said Art Hughes after one of Ken Pears’ fine performances, “Ken don’t care for nothin’ when the ball’s comin’ in”... wrote Roy Jukich in 1956, “he ranks as one of the best in Canada... (he has) spent hour after hour developing a keen sense of anticipation, speed and safe pair of hands”... wrote Ed Waring in 1959, Ken was “reputedly the best goalkeeper in the country”... as noted in 1963 program, he was “one of the finest goalkeepers ever developed in B.C.”... as noted in a 1964 program, he was “Mr. Goalie of local soccer”... wrote Jeff Cross in 1965, Pears was “the finest product of BC Soccer for many years”... as noted in 1965 all-star program, “regarded by experts as finest goalkeeper produced in local ranks”... wrote Dan Stinson in 1982, “many consider (Ken Pears as) Canada’s greatest goalkeeper ever”...
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For Country
was part of the 1956 Canadian team that faced a touring Lokomotiv Moscow in Toronto, ON (a 1:2 loss on 18 August 1956)... he was 23 years old when he made his international debut for Canada (22 June 1957)... represented Canada in 1957 CONCACAF / FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for Sweden 1958... was part of the 1960 Canadian team that toured the Soviet Union and United Kingdom (with matches in Moscow, Kharkov, Donetsk, Leningrad, Dundee, and West Bromwich)...
For Sport
served as coach of Vancouver Firefighters Juniors... served as manager of Vancouver Firefighters FC...
| Year | Prize | Honour |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Top 100 Men's Footballers | Canada Soccer Centennial Timeline |
| 2000 | Honoured Player / Joueur honoré | Canada Soccer Hall of Fame |
| 1986 | Honoured Athlete / Athlète honoré (Soccer) | BC Sports Hall of Fame |
| 1964 | Winner / Gagnant | MVP of the Pacific Coast International Championship |
| 1961-62 | Winner / Gagnant | Austin Delany Memorial Trophy |
| End Date | Team | Coach | National Team Project | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-10-07 | CAN MNT | Bill Simpson | [1960-09] Tour of Soviet Union and Britain | 26 | |
| 1957-07-08 | CAN MNT | Don Petrie | [1957-06] FIFA World Cup Qualifiers | Rochester Ukrainians | 23 |
| 1956-08-19 | CAN MNT | Don Petrie | [1956-08] Men’s national team in Toronto | 22 |
(GP = Games Played; GS = Games Started; SU = Games Played as Substitute; Min. = Minutes; G = Goals; A = Assists; Y = Cautions; R = Ejections; GA = Goals Allowed; CS = Clean Sheets)
International "A" records
| Year | Team | Record | Age | GP | GS | SU | Min | G | A | Y | R | GA | CS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | CAN MNT | 2-0-2 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 360 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 4 | 4 | 0 | 360 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
(Min. = Minutes; G = Goals; A = Assists; Y = Cautions; R = Ejections; GA = Goals Allowed; CS = Clean Sheets)
| Date | Location | Match | CAN | RESULT | Opponent | Age | Start | Min. | G | A | Y | R | GA | CS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-07-07 | St. Louis, MO, USA | FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers | CAN MNT | 3 : 2 | USA | 23 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1957-07-04 | Ciudad México, MEX | FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers | CAN MNT | 0 : 2 | MEX | 23 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1957-06-30 | Ciudad México, MEX | FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers | CAN MNT | 0 : 3 | MEX | 23 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1957-06-22 | Toronto, ON, CAN | FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers | CAN MNT | 5 : 1 | USA | 23 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
