Chursky: Sounder Goalies Become "Cool"
by Heather Johnson, WATN Editor
Tony Chursky claimed in interviews that the thought of replacing the Sounders’ first goalkeeper, the popular
Barry Watling, made him nervous. It turns out that he had little to fear. Young, long-haired, and intense on the field, Chursky had a diverse fan-base--from kids to his ‘chicks’ to mature adults—and quickly became a fan favorite, too. Tony Chursky made goalies cool.
A British Columbia native, who already had some experience with the Canadian National team, Chursky was just 23 when he debuted with the Sounders in 1976. Despite his youth and relative lack of size for a goalkeeper, his first year with the team (also the team’s
first season in the Kingdome) was nothing less than spectacular: he was the NASL’s leading keeper with a .91 gaa. Nicknamed “Poetry Man” (he was an English Literature major at Simon Fraser University), he played in Seattle for two more years, during which time he is perhaps best remembered for his
Soccer Bowl ’77 faux pas in which he dribbled the ball a little too casually, allowing Cosmos forward Steve Hunt to steal the ball from him and score in a game the Cosmos would win 2-1. Few remember his excellent saves that day, including a diving
one-handed stab that preserved a 1-1 halftime score line.
After his tenure with the Sounders, Chursky played for the California Surf, Chicago Sting and Toronto Blizzard of the NASL. Although he never surpassed his stellar rookie statistics, Chursky had a very solid career, and his 38 career shutouts puts second on the NASL all-time shutout list. In 1983 he returned to the Pacific Northwest and moved indoors to play with the
Tacoma Stars of the MISL, where fans were once again glad to get a chance to watch him play with almost reckless abandon, as proved by the multiple concussions he acquired in the Stars’ inaugural season. He played two seasons with the Stars before moving into coaching, first as goalkeeper coach with the Stars, and then as goalkeeper coach for the FC Seattle Storm in 1989. In 1988 he was inducted into the Simon Fraser University Clan Hall of Fame.
Today Chursky is an English teacher and soccer coach at Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, and proud father to Ian and Alex, both forwards (!!) attending Seattle University.
