A Lifetime, A Legacy: Kevin MacFarlane, Local Soccer Legend & Humble Spirit
“Through adversity we find character.”
“A true leader responds to the challenge of making his teammates better people than players.”
“The fully secure athlete is willing to learn about humility.”
These are just some of the pearls of wisdom from Kevin MacFarlane, one of the more prominent soccer players to come out of South Jersey. MacFarlane passed away unexpectedly last fall, and to those of us who knew him, he will always be remembered for his passion for sport and his devotion to helping others.
MacFarlane lived the vast majority of his life in Avalon. However, his journey did not start here. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1965 to parents Gerry and Anna. The family moved to the United States in 1967, and eventually settled down in Avalon after about a year. MacFarlane’s father was a professional soccer player in Scotland, and continued to play stateside after immigration. It is widely accepted that Gerry MacFarlane is the father of youth soccer in South Jersey, and his love of the game rubbed off on Kevin at a young age.
“Pop was playing for a pro team in Trenton,” MacFarlane’s brother Gerald says, “and part of the deal with my mom is that if he wanted to play, he would have to take me and Kevin to all the games. We would love playing around at the soccer club with all the other kids, and we would just run around and kick the soccer ball.”
MacFarlane really got into soccer in his adolescent years and excelled at the sport. He still holds the record for youngest person to score a goal for Wildwood Catholic High School, where his father coached for decades.
“He was only in seventh grade,” Gerald says, “and the team needed guys, so they put him in, and it was the only goal of the game versus perennial rival St. Augustine.”
After graduating from St. Joseph’s Elementary in Sea Isle, he finished middle school in Oshawa, Canada, where he lived with his aunt and played for a traveling youth soccer club, the Oshawa Turul, that competed in the Mini-World Cup in Germany and Austria. He returned home to attend Middle Township High School, where he played five sports over the course of four years. MacFarlane took the next step in his soccer career by attending Belmont (N.C.) Abbey College, where he was named an All-American and was invited to the Senior Bowl in 1988. After seeing MacFarlane play and being so impressed with his work ethic and skill, the coach drove 10 hours to recruit his younger brother Patrick to the team. He said, “If you are anything like your brother, I want you on the team!” (The two played together for two years, and both went on to pro careers.)
After college in 1990, MacFarlane entered the National Professional Soccer League, an indoor league that at the time was the highest level of professional soccer in the U.S. He played six seasons as a defenseman with four teams: the Indiana Kick, Denver Thunder, Carolina Vipers and Detroit Safari. In his first game with Detroit, he got a game ball signed by the team for scoring a goal on his only shot of the game, giving him the best shooting percentage in the league.
MacFarlane played the game with passion and intensity, and soccer remained a major part of his life after retiring as a player in 1997. He would go on to coach at Venice (Fla.) High School, near Sarasota, as well as assisting at Wildwood Catholic. He became a personal trainer for youth soccer players from around South Jersey, and devoted himself to bringing up these “soccer grommets,” as he called them, the right way. MacFarlane taught kids about humility, mental toughness and sacrifice, and instilled that true leaders put themselves second, and are willing to serve those whom they lead. He believed that winning wasn’t everything, and that stats and wins and losses should not be the focus of a champion.
“Kevin loved life,” says his youngest brother, Michael (aka Mikey), “and he knew what humility was, and practiced it. He always accepted people for who they are, and was able to look past their flaws. He helped and encouraged me to get sober, and I’ve been able to keep it up since 2011 with his support. Unfortunately, he wasn’t willing to let us help him back.”
Though he was always a positive and upbeat person, Kevin struggled with alcoholism in his later years, which ultimately led to his passing.
“We as a family just hope that it brings awareness to a disease that is often far too close to home, and that people can learn from his mistakes,” Mikey says. “That is what he would have wanted.”
Says Gerald: “Kevin always loved Avalon. He loved walking on the beach, fishing, and swimming in the ocean. He loved his friends. He was a spiritual guy, and found solace in religion and being at one with nature.”
MacFarlane was known to spend hours talking with the priest after church, and he flew to Rome to attend the fu-
neral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. “He didn’t have the money, but he packed his bags and just had to go,” Gerald says with a laugh.
“He always had a smile on his face and was a terrific listener,” says Patrick. “He was well loved by many, and stayed true to his close circle of friends.”
MacFarlane never married nor had any children. He held his family and friends dear to his heart and would give them the shirt off his back or his very last dollar, because those things weren’t important to him. “He was a true Scotsman,” Gerald and Mikey agree.
Kevin MacFarlane was a true Avalon local, and a legend on the soccer pitch. May he be remembered for his humble spirit and passion for life. May his death encourage others to improve themselves and find the right path. Cheers to Kevin. You are missed.
