Silent Auction Invitation

March 9, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis men's soccer program will hold their annual silent auction and banquet on Thur., March 26, at the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex. The event is being billed as an evening soccer talk with former soccer professionals Ross Paule, Richard Bute, Tony Carbognani and Kyle Rote, Jr.

Paule, a product of Houston High School in Germantown and Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., spent nine seasons as a professional for such teams as the Colorado Rapids, New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. Paule finished his MLS career with 31 goals and 41 assists. His best season in the league came in 1998 when he tallied ten goals and six assists for the Colorado Rapids. In 1997, Paule was one of the first collegiate soccer players to spurn his senior season to go to the MLS.

Bute, a native of Poland, first arrived in the U.S., in 1980 when he began playing for the Hartford Hellions of the Major Indoor Soccer League. A year later, Bute made the trek to the Bluff City where he played for the Memphis Americans of the MISL. Since his retirement from professional soccer, Bute has spearheaded the soccer program at Christian Brothers University, serving as head coach from 1985 to 1997, and served as a club coach around the Memphis area.

Carbongnani, made his name in the Mid-South as a member of the Memphis Rogues of the National American Soccer League. The native Argentinian went on to serve as an assistant coach at both CBU and Memphis.

Rote, Jr., was one of the first American soccer icons. The graduate of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., made a name for himself as a member of the Dallas Tornado and Houston Hurricane of the NASL. Rote, Jr., founded Athletic Resource Management, a Memphis based firm that represents professional and post-collegiate athletes and coaches in basketball and football.

Along with the opportunity to hear the various former professional soccer players speak, Tiger soccer supporters can also participate in the silent auction which is held every year to help raise money for the U of M soccer program. This year two of the featured items in the auction are two tickets to go see the Manchester United and a signed jersey from Ryan Babel, a star for Liverpool FC who is a product of the Ajax Football Club in the Netherlands which also produced Memphis goalkeeper coach Remco DeJong.

The banquet will be emceed by Peter Edmisten, the host of the Soccer Fix Radio Show on Sports 56 WHBQ. Dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Invidual tickets cost $5, while a sponsored table on ten costs $500.