Stu Riddle

Stu Riddle (born 23 May 1976 in Luton, England) is a former New Zealand football (soccer) player. He is currently the head coach of the men's soccer team at Northern Kentucky University.[1]

Stu Riddle
Personal information
Full name Stuart Allen Riddle
Date of birth (1976-05-23) 23 May 1976
Place of birth Luton, England
Height 5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m)
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
Northern Kentucky Norse (coach)
Youth career
1991–1992 Tawa AFC
Wellington United
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–1998 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995 Wellington United 18 (18)
1996 Chelmsford City F.C. 4 (1)
1996 Miramar Rangers F.C. 6 (1)
1997 Western Suburbs F.C. 6 (3)
1997 Tawa 11 (7)
1999 Nelson Suburbs F.C. 15 (18)
1999–2000 Football Kingz F.C. 9 (2)
2001–2002 Des Moines Menace 41 (23)
2001 Oxford City F.C. 2 (1)
2001 Greenock Morton F.C. 4 (0)
2004 West Michigan Edge 18 (9)
2004 YoungHeart Manawatu 5 (1)
2005 Altona Magic SC 7 (4)
2006 Kalamazoo Kingdom 14 (6)
2008 Kalamazoo Outrage 1 (4)
Total 196 (111)
National team
1996 New Zealand U-23 4 (0)
Teams managed
1999 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (Asst.)
2002–2004 Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (Asst.)
2005–2006 Evansville Purple Aces (Asst.)
2006 Kalamazoo Kingdom
2008 Kalamazoo Outrage
2008 Fairfield Stags (Asst.)
2009–2012 Western Michigan Broncos
2013–2016 Buffalo Bulls
2017– Northern Kentucky Norse
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 August 2008
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 August 2008

Playing career

Less than a year after leaving high school at Wellington's Scots College, Riddle shot to prominence after a high-scoring debut season with Wellington United in the New Zealand Superclub competition.

At the age of 19, Riddle was the youngest member of Bobby Clark's 1996 New Zealand Olympic Team where he made four appearances including one as a substitute in a 1–0 victory over then Oceania rivals Australia where ex-Fulham midfielder Simon Elliott scored the only goal of the game at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium.

After brief stints with several clubs including Chelmsford City in the UK, Riddle turned to the US college system and spent two years with the Myrtle Beach-based Coastal Carolina University before being signed by Kiwi football icon Wynton Rufer for the Kingz debut season in the National Soccer League in 1999.[2][3]

Although he signed a two-year contract, Riddle struggled to regularly feature in the Kingz side and only managed nine appearances with a return of two goals, both of which came away from home against Adelaide United and Brisbane Strikers.[3]

Better form would be found in the lower United States leagues with Riddle being a mainstay of the Laurie Calloway-coached Des Moines Menace side that would achieve an undefeated season in the 2002 USL Premier Development League competition.

Riddle turned to the UK again in the hope of being signed by a Football League side but again struggled with the higher level of play and had short spells at Oxford City[4] and Greenock Morton before being reunited with former Kingz teammates Marcus Stergiopoulos and Levent Osman at the Melbourne-based Altona Magic in the Victorian Premier League.[3]

Despite a good scoring record he fell out of favour with the management of the Macedonian flavoured club and returned to the United States.

Management career

In 2006, he became a coach in the United Soccer Leagues when he accepted a player-coaching job with Kalamazoo Kingdom in the USL Premier Development League, United States elite development league.[3]

In 2008, he served as the head coach for the Kalamazoo Outrage in the USL Premier Development League, United States elite development league team in the franchises inaugural year. On 13 July 2008 the Kalamazoo Outrage qualified for the 2008 USL Premier Development League playoffs in their inaugural year.

Riddle guided his side to second place in the Central Conferences Midwest Division narrowly finishing behind the Chicago Fire Premier in the regular season standings. His side would get their revenge eliminating the Chicago Fire Premier from the 2008 playoffs by virtue of a 2–0 victory at Toyota Park on 22 July.

Their fairytale run would continue under Riddle and they defeated perennial USL Premier Development League powerhouse the Michigan Bucks on 26 July to advance to the national quarter finals where the Thunder Bay Chill would end the Outrage's season.

Riddle became the sixth head coach of Western Michigan University when he was named the men's soccer coach on 30 January 2009. With this announcement he became the first New Zealander to be a head men's soccer coach at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level.[5]

Personal

Riddle graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Coastal Carolina University in 1999. He earned his master's degree in public service administration from the University of Evansville in 2007 while serving as an assistant coach for the Purple Aces.[6]

Born in England and raised in New Zealand, Riddle became a naturalized U.S. citizen at a ceremony in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 16, 2011. He and his wife, Jessica, have two daughters, Rylee Noelle (born March 16, 2010) and Nora Jane (born July 31, 2012).[7]

References

  1. "Buffalo Bulls Men's Soccer Head Coach Stu Riddle hired away to Northern Kentucky". Vox Media. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  2. "Football Kingz". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  3. "Kalamazoo Kingdom Soccer kicks off it's 11th (sic) season with Head Coach Stu Riddle". 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on 4 November 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  4. "Riddle Returns". Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  5. Stu Riddle Head Coach Archived 1 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Stu Riddle named @NKUNorseMSOC head coach". Northern Kentucky University Athletics. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  7. "Stu Riddle Bio". State University of New York at Buffalo. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
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