Keith Eddy

Keith Eddy passed away on October 10th, 2022, from complications due to living

life to its fullest.  Keith was born on October 23, 1944, on the island of

Walney, off the west coast of England.  His father, Alfred George Eddy, was a

carpenter and his mother, Betty Eddy, was a homemaker.  He was a clever boy

who did well at school and excelled at sports.  When he was 10, a teacher

observed him kicking a football and encouraged him to join the school team.  By

seventeen, he had finished school and turned professional,

having signed with the local Barrow A.F.C.  He left Barrow in 1966 for Watford

F.C. where, in between scoring 26 goals, he managed to find time to marry the

love of his life, Jacqueline Elizabeth Eddy (nee Shields) in June of 1969.  Two

years later, they welcomed their first daughter, Nicola.  A move from Watford to

Sheffield United F.C. in 1972, was followed by the birth of their second daughter,

Claire, in 1974.  Never one to shy away from adventure, Keith accepted a two-

year contract with the New York Cosmos and moved his young family to America

in 1976.  With an absolutely legendary roster, including Keith, the Cosmos would

go on to win the 1977 NASL championship.  Sidelined by an injury, his playing

career came to an end that same year.

A natural leader, both on and off the pitch, he decided to try his hand at

coaching.  The Eddys made another move, this time to Canada, where Keith

coached the Toronto Blizzard.  In their first year, Keith led the Blizzard to a 14-16

season and an appearance in the playoffs.   He resigned from the Blizzard in

1981 and, soon after, moved his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  After pursuing

various business opportunities, he turned his attention back to soccer and

founded the Tulsa Soccer Club in 1991.  TSC went on to become one of the

premier youth soccer organizations in the country.

Captain of every team he ever played for, both amateur and professional, Keith

had a quick mind and a decisiveness that served him well on and off the

field.  For all his accomplishments, and there were many, it was his family that

brought him the most joy.  Jackie was both the love of his life and his best

friend.  He would often call her the ‘wind beneath his wings’ and praise her

willingness to go with him on whatever adventure presented itself.  He referred to

his daughters, Nicola and Claire, as the greatest sources of pride in his life.  With

his passing, the world has become a little smaller and a whole lot less

interesting.  He will be missed tremendously by those who loved and knew him.

He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Jacqueline Elizabeth Eddy, his

daughter Nicola Eddy Sacra, and husband Damon, of Tulsa, OK, his daughter

Claire Eddy Hooper, and husband William, of Las Vegas, NV, and his 5

grandchildren, Donovan Daubert, Drake Daubert, Miles Daubert, Kathryn

Hooper, Hailey Hooper, and his big brother, William Eddy, or as Keith called him

“my Bill” of Sunderland, England.