Eddie Pearson Biography

Eddie Pearson was the father of the United States Soccer Referee Development program. Appointed as the Director of Officials for the North American Soccer League he was simultaneously installed as the first USSF Director of Referee Instruction.

The challenge Eddie faced was huge. There was no coherent referee development program in the nation and a major international professional league had to be staffed with professional level game officials.

Eddie met and mastered that challenge and the result was the formation of the finest referee programs in the world. Those Pearsonians who worked with him or who followed have each made a significant contribution to refereeing in the United States, and in fact in North America. To earn a place among the Pearsonians is to have performed extraordinary service to referees and to the game.

Eddie was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a builder in 1990. Click here to read his Hall of Famer bio page.

Related Information
Eddie Pearson Award History | Eddie Pearson Award Winners