Tibor Molnar (footballer, born 1952)

{{Infobox football biography

|name = Tibor Molnár

|image =

|caption =

|fullname =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|06|6|df=y}}

|birth_place = Budapest, Hungary

|death_date =

|death_place =

|height =

|position = Midfielder

|youthyears1 = 1967–1969

|youthclubs1 = Vasas SC

|years1 = 1971 |clubs1 = Dallas Tornado (indoor) |caps1 = 2 |goals1 = 0

|years2 = 1971 |clubs2 = Dallas Tornado |caps2 = 2 |goals2 = 0

|years3 = 1973–1974 |clubs3 = Toronto Hungaria |caps3 = |goals3 =

|years4 = 1974–1975 |clubs4 = Toronto Italia |caps4 = |goals4 = 17

|years5 = 1976 |clubs5 = Rochester Lancers (indoor) |caps5 = 4 |goals5 = 3

|years6 = 1976 |clubs6 = Rochester Lancers |caps6 = 4 |goals6 = 0

|years7 = 1976–1977 |clubs7 = San Jose Earthquakes |caps7 = 32 |goals7 = 0

|years8 = 1978 |clubs8 = Tulsa Roughnecks (indoor) |caps8 = 4 |goals8 = 4

|years9 = 1978 |clubs9 = Montreal Castors |caps9 = |goals9 =

|years10 = 1978–1981 |clubs10 = New York Arrows (indoor) |caps10 = 74 |goals10 = 33

|years11 = 1980–1981 |clubs11 = Hartford Hellions (indoor) |caps11 = 21 |goals11 = 5

|years12 = 1981 |clubs12 = Baltimore Blast (indoor) |caps12 = 3 |goals12 = 0

|years13 = 1982–1983 |clubs13 = Pittsburgh Spirit (indoor) |caps13 = 27 |goals13 = 6

|totalcaps =

|totalgoals =

|nationalyears1 =

|nationalteam1 =

|nationalcaps1 =

|nationalgoals1 =

}}

Tibor Molnar (born June 6, 1952) is a Hungarian former footballer who played as a midfielder in the North American Soccer League, the Canadian National Soccer League, and the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Early life

Born in Budapest, he grew up in the same neighborhood as indoor soccer hall-of-famer, Juli Veee.{{Cite web|date=June 9, 1976|title=Molnar to rescue 'Quakes|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/38026101/?terms=Tibor%20Molnar%20Veee&match=1|access-date=2020-11-14|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=The Argus|page=17|language=en}} Like many, he disliked how the totalitarian, communist government controlled nearly every aspect of a Hungarian's life, and dreamed of life in a free society like the U.S.{{Cite web|last=Lewis|first=Mike|date=February 16, 1976|title=New Lancer use to unusual|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/136936008/?terms=Tibor+Molnar+Rochester+lancers|access-date=2020-08-22|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=Rochester Democrat and Chronicle|page=38|language=en}} By his own accounts, he and a friend were always trying to sneak away to the west, posing as tourists, but were regularly stopped at the border. Rather than place him in jail and put him on trial, as would likely happen to adults at that time, the border guards would merely put him and his friend on a bus back home.{{Cite web|last=Eberson|first=Sharon|date=September 22, 1981|title=Hungarian defector Molnar is expected to boost Spirit|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/91133816/?terms=Tibor%2BMolnar|access-date=2020-11-14|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=26|language=en}}

Career

He played for second division side Vasas SC at age 15 and quit school because of soccer. Two years later in 1970 he sneaked out of the country, presumably as a tourist visiting Vienna on his 18th birthday. He trained with FK Austria Wien, and friends arranged for him to travel to the U.S. In 1971 Molnar joined the Dallas Tornado of NASL and scored his only NASL goal in Game 1 of the NASL Championship Final.{{Cite web|date=September 13, 1971|title=Chiefs Get Big 2-1 Win|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/398292721/?terms=Tibor+Molnar+Dallas+Tornado|access-date=2020-08-22|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=The Atlanta Constitution|page=47|language=en}} After the 1971 season Molnar returned first to Austria, and then attempted to play for Beerschot A.C., a Belgian side from Antwerp, but instead was forced to serve a two-year European suspension for playing outside Hungary without permission. In 1973 and 1974 he played in the National Soccer League to play with Toronto Hungaria.{{Cite news|date=August 27, 1973|title=First Portuguese shut out Serbians|page=B1|work=Toronto Star}}{{Cite news|last=Krivel|first=Peter|date=June 12, 1974|title=Yugoslav Cup player highlights NSL win|page=D5|work=Toronto Star}} The second portion of the 1974 NSL season he played with Toronto Italia.{{Cite news|date=August 12, 1974|title=Portuguese show power|page=S7|work=The Globe and Mail}}

In 1976, he returned to the NASL to play with the Rochester Lancers. Primarily a playmaker, he became unhappy with the defense-first role that Lancers coach Don Popovic wanted him to play. After playing in only four of the first seven matches of the season, he requested a trade. The team obliged, and on June 8, 1976, he was transferred for cash to the San Jose Earthquakes,{{Cite web|last=Lewis|first=Michael|date=June 9, 1976|title=Earthquakes buy Lancers' Molnar|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/136946410/?terms=Tibor%2BMolnar|access-date=2020-11-14|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=Rochester Democrat and Chronicle|page=4-D|language=en}} where he played two seasons before being dealt to the Tulsa Roughnecks in exchange for Victor Kodelja.{{Cite web|date=January 21, 1978|title=Kodelja traded to Earthquakes|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/461027516/?terms=Kodelja%20Molnar&match=1|access-date=2020-11-14|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=San Francisco Examiner|page=33|language=en}} Later in 1978 he returned to the National Soccer League to play with Montreal Castors.{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Dave|date=July 20, 1978|title=Stars drop heartbreaking 3-2 to Castors|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/503345455/?terms=Barros+montreal+castors|access-date=2020-08-13|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=The Windsor Star|page=48|language=en}}

Indoor career

Molnar played indoor soccer in both the NASL and MISL. He was a member of the 1971 indoor tournament champion Dallas Tornado, recording one assist in 2 games. In the 1976 tournament he was a runner-up with Rochester scoring three goals in four games. In the winter of 1978, Molnar returned to the indoor scene to play with Tulsa Roughnecks.{{Cite web|date=February 15, 1978|title=Rowdies win as Smethurst scores 5 goals|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/334887305/?terms=Tibor+Molnar+Tulsa+Roughnecks|access-date=2020-08-22|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=The Tampa Tribune|page=13|language=en}} He was named co-MVP of the Skelly Invitational, won by Tulsa.{{cite news |last=Lobaugh |first=Tom |title=Roughnecks Ramble Into Tourney Finals|date=March 5, 1978|newspaper=Tulsa World|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com|access-date=2020-11-14}}{{cite news |last=Lobaugh |first=Tom |title=Tulsa Kicks Up A Victory|date=March 6, 1978|newspaper=Tulsa World|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com |access-date=2020-11-14}}

When the MISL began play in 1978 he joined Coach Popovic's New York Arrows,{{Cite web|date=December 29, 1978|title=Spirit Feels Slings of Arrows, 6-3|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/90059683/?terms=Tibor+Molnar+New+York+Arrows|access-date=2020-08-22|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=11|language=en}} winning titles in 1978–79 and 1979–80. From there he had injury-plagued stops with the Hartford Hellions,{{Cite web|date=June 26, 1980|title=Hellions sign six|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/532265091/?terms=Molnar%20Hellions&match=1|access-date=2020-11-15|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=The Berkshire Eagle|page=24|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Trecker|first=Jerry|date=November 2, 1980|title=The Hellions|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/368487464/?terms=Doug+Pollard+New+York+Arrows|access-date=2020-08-22|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=Hartford Courant|page=98|language=en}} Baltimore Blast{{Cite web|date=February 11, 1981|title=Hellions trade Molnar for forward Morielli|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/676041862/?terms=Molnar%20Hellions&match=1|access-date=2020-11-15|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=Record-Journal (Meriden, CT)|page=11|language=en}} and Pittsburgh Spirit{{Cite web|last=Kienzl|first=Ray|date=December 16, 1981|title=Molnar Says Spirit Capable Of Stopping Tough Arrows|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/146573767/?terms=Tibor+Molnar+New+York+Arrows|access-date=2020-08-22|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=The Pittsburgh Press|language=en}} before retiring.

Honors

Dallas Tornado
NASL: 1971
NASL indoor: 1971
Toronto Italia
CNSL: 1975
Rochester Lancers
NASL indoor: Runner up 1976
Tulsa Roughnecks
NASL indoor: 1978
New York Arrows
MISL: 1978–79
MISL: 1979–80

;Individual honors

Tournament MVP
NASL indoor: 1978{{Cite web|date=November 19, 1980|title=Hellions Player Profile|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/368533629/?terms=Tibor&match=1|access-date=2020-11-15|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=The Hartford Courant|page=D3|language=en}}