Billy J Gazonas

The Billy Gazonas Story: A Soccer Journey from Tears and Humiliation to National Champions and Hermann Trophy Winner Billy J Gazonas

This is an incredibly inspiring soccer story that shows us that if you're really motivated and ignore those that say you are not good enough, you can make your dreams a reality. Billy Gazonas -5-foot-3, 132 pounds - yearned to play for perennial Division 1 soccer powerhouse Hartwick College in upstate New York. But head coach Timo Liekoski, considered by many to be the brightest mind in college soccer then, told Billy he was not good enough to play at Hartwick and should go elsewhere. But Timo could not measure Billy's indomitable will to succeed. He enrolled at Hartwick and barely managed to survive two brutal weeks of preseason practice. That was followed by the first regular season game against Montclair State, with Billy's parents in attendance. He was the only player not to get into the game. He was humiliated and in tears as he sat in the back of the bus for the ride back to Oneonta. But he refused to be defeated. Instead, he devoted himself to endless hours of secret training to master the ball and try to earn playing time with the varsity. This remarkable story culminated with Billy's last game his senior year, when he captained Hartwick to the NCAA Division 1 National Championship. He also was named winner of the Hermann Trophy, given to the nation's best college soccer player. If ever there was a story to motivate you to reach for the stars, this is it.