2008 EPYSA Workshop—Clinician Bios

Tony DiCicco
Winningest Coach in USA National Team History

Former U.S. National Team head coach Tony DiCicco served as the WUSA’s COO in 2001 and it’s Commissioner in 2002 and 2003 and the Chairman of the Re-launch committee in 2004.

For six years DiCicco was the head coach of the United States Women's National Team, accumulating an amazing record of 103-8-8, making him the all-time leader in wins in U.S. National Team Soccer history. Tony DiCicco was the head coach of the 1999 Women's World Cup squad that changed the face of women's athletics forever, winning the championship over China in front of the largest crowd in women’s sports history (90,185 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on July 10, 1999) and a worldwide television audience.

In 1996, Tony DiCicco led the U.S. team to the first-ever gold medal in Olympic women's soccer. He also guided the U.S. team to a third-place finish at the second FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden in June of 1995 and championships at U.S. Women's Cups in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Tony DiCicco and the USA Women’s National Team also won the Goodwill Games Gold Medal in 1998. The 1996 Olympic Gold Medal team has recently been inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. Before becoming the head coach of the U.S. national team, DiCicco had served as the squad’s assistant coach since 1991, working with the goalkeepers during the USA’s triumph at the first FIFA Women’s World Cup in China in 1991. Tony DiCicco also served as the goalkeeper coach for the 1993 Under-20 Men’s National Team when it finished in eighth place at the 7th FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia.

A 1970 graduate of Springfield College in Massachusetts, Tony DiCicco majored in physical education. A goalkeeper, he was the captain and most valuable player his senior year, earning All-America honors.

DiCicco played five years of professional soccer in the American Soccer League with the Connecticut Wildcats and Rhode Island Oceaneers, where he was team MVP and captain. In 1973, DiCicco toured and played for the U.S. National Team.
In 1981, Tony DiCicco founded SoccerPlus Goalkeeper Schools, which has grown to over 20 camps nationwide, and started the SoccerPlus FieldPlayer Academies in the summer of 1998. He has served as the goalkeeper specialist for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and has conducted both U.S. Soccer and NSCAA national licensing camps. He holds both the U.S. Soccer “A” license and the NSCAA Premier Diploma.

Tony DiCicco founded the FSASoccerPlus Football Club in 2003 and is coaching the U14 Boys Team and the U16 Girls Team while he oversees all teams as the club’s Technical Director.

DiCicco, who was appointed as a member of the FIFA Panel of Instructors and Lecturers for Coaching, has authored two soccer video series, Goalkeeping, the DiCicco Method and Champions Soccer Series featuring Brandi Chastain and has just completed a book, along with Dr. Colleen Hacker about coaching girls’ soccer entitled “Catch them Being Good.”

DiCicco also started soccer programs at Bellows Falls Middle School in Bellow Falls, Vt., and South Catholic High School in Hartford, Conn. He also coached the Hartford Hellenic and the Hartford Italian Stars of the Connecticut Senior League and coached intercollegiate men’s programs at Central Connecticut State University and the University of Hartford. He is a 1966 graduate of Wethersfield High School in Connecticut, where he lettered in soccer, baseball and basketball.
During the 2000 Olympics Tony DiCicco was an analyst for NBC and during the 2003 Women’s World Cup he worked on the TV crew for ESPN.

Bio courtesy of PremierSpeakers.com

John Ellinger
U.S. Youth Soccer Technical Director

U.S. Youth Soccer Technical Director John Ellinger is one of the nation’s foremost soccer instructors, having held coaching positions at nearly every level of the game in the United States.

Ellinger played collegiately at Frostburg State University, graduating in 1973, and also played club ball with the Washington Soccer Club at the start of his coaching career.

He was Tom Bichy's assistant at Montgomery College from 1979 to 1981, where the team achieved a No. 5 national ranking. He left Montgomery to coach at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, where he stayed from 1981 to 1990.
Ellinger became a U.S. Soccer National Staff Coach in 1992, and has held a number of different jobs since then. Most notably, he has been the coach of the U-17 United States men's national soccer team since 1997, and Director of Youth Development since 2001. In his role as coach of the U-17's, Ellinger has also headed up the USSF's Bradenton Academy, where many of the United States' most talented youths are developed. While at Bradenton, Ellinger had a significant role in developing many of the most outstanding American soccer players, including Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey, Eddie Johnson, Chad Marshall, Freddy Adu, Eddie Gaven, Danny Szetela, and Jonathan Spector.

From 2005-07, Ellinger coached MLS expansion team Real Salt Lake, guiding the team through its first two seasons in the league. Ellinger has also coached in MLS with the Columbus Crew, where he was an assistant during the team’s inaugural 1996 season.

Bio excerpted from Wikipedia.org.

Antonio Davis
Director, “Aspiring Champions” Speed Training

Antonio burst onto the athletic scene as a high school phenomenon in track and field, becoming a four time N.Y. State Long Jump and Triple Jump Champion, High School National Championships runner-up, and High School All-American. His talents landed him a full scholarship to Penn State University where set a Penn Relays record holder, earned five All-America honors and qualified to compete for spots on two U.S. Olympic Track and Field Teams.

Antonio tailored his education around becoming a world-class athlete. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in health education/exercise science and with minors in biomechanics and nutrition.

Antonio has helped athletes from all levels including the NFL, MLB, U.S. Olympic teams, Division-I and -II Universities, high schools and youth organizations. Antonio also developed the nation’s only periodized, multi-sport speed enhancement program, and developed one of the first NFL pre-combine speed-development clinics for collegiate athletes (annual), the first MLB pre-showcase speed-development program (annual) and the first high school multi-sport, multi-team summer conditioning camp (annual).

He has also helped develop athletes into No. 1 draft picks in baseball and football (and a No. 4 pick in basketball), and is currently training numerous nationally-ranked sports teams and/or professional athletes ranging across four sports. In addition to becoming the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the WUSA'S Philadelphia Charge (2001) he is also the Sports Performance Consultant for the EPYSA, PAGS and FC DELCO soccer organizations.

Prior to arriving at Aspiring Champions, Inc., Antonio was the Regional Director of Lightning Fast Programs; Speed, Fitness, Marketing and Sales Director at Peak Performance Training Programs in New Jersey; and worked for The Athletic Connection in State College and Davispeed Sports Movement, all of which he helped create.

He designs periodized, seasonal training programs for professional athletes, adults, high school and youth fitness populations. At Aspiring Champions, Antonio designs specific, individualized fitness programs for each member pertaining to his/her goals, needs, and medical conditions. Using the results of the initial evaluation, personal injury histories, and likes and dislikes, Antonio tailors each program to be unlike any other. Along with training, fitness and medical populations, Antonio has also developed sport-specific strength and conditioning programs with a special focus on speed, quickness and agility. He creates programs for athletes that are specific to his/her sport and age. The programs are so good, there's even a money-back guarantee.

Throughout his career, Antonio has designed functions which benefited organizations such as WalkAmerica, UNCF Walk for Education, Wharton School of Business, Special Olympics, Make-a-Wish Foundation and Fallen September 11th Heroes.?Currently, Antonio is the President of Aspiring Champions, Inc., where he runs the tri-state area's top training academy, Premier Sports Preparation. He also is a frequent guest speaker at conventions, clinics, seminars and camps all over the U.S.

Bio taken from AspiringChampions.com.

Tony McCall
National Sales Director, The Sport Source

Tony McCall serves as the National Sales Director for The Sport Source, a national organization designed to help to connect coaches, players, individuals, educational institutions, and organizations through its critically acclaimed college planning guides, workbooks, Web site, online products, and mentoring services. The Sport Source provides college planning tools and services to more than 4.4 million families annually when their goal is to pursue colleges or universities academically and athletically.

Born in Northern Ireland, Tony garnered International Honors for Northern Ireland at the schoolboy U15 and youth U18 levels. Tony comes to The Sport Source with over 20 years of coaching experience.

As the Northern Ireland Professional Sportswriters Association and Northern Ireland Professional Footballers Association "Young Player of the Year" in 1980, Tony had a distinguished playing career in the Irish First Division for over 10 years. After playing in both the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, Tony attracted the attention of then European Cup Champions Liverpool FC.

After transitioning from playing to coaching in 1987 due to a career-ending knee injury, Tony came to the United States as an Assistant Coach at the University of South Alabama.

In 1993, Tony became the men's head coach at Stetson University, and in 1998 moved to Colorado as the Director of Coaching, and later Executive Director, of a large club in Denver. As a Region IV Boys ODP Head Coach, Tony also worked with numerous National team players from 2000-2005.

Tony holds a UEFA "A" License, IFA "A" License, NSCAA Premier Diploma and a USSF Pro "B" license. He is currently serving his second three-year term as the Boys Youth Rep on the NSCAA Board of Directors.

Bio taken from TheSportSource.com.