KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Dec. 10, 2021) – United Soccer Coaches announced on Friday that former Philadelphia Union defender Raymon Gaddis, the 2020-21 recipient of the Jerry Yeagley Award for Exceptional Personal Achievement, will be honored during the All-America Ceremony on Saturday, January 22 as part of the 2022 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Kansas City, Mo.The award is presented to a former collegiate soccer student-athlete who has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments and service beyond the sport itself. The award is named in honor of the legendary Indiana University men’s soccer coach. Gaddis, now a retired MLS player, continues to give back to the game in a variety of ways.“How fitting for an Indiana favorite son to receive the Jerry Yeagley Award for Exceptional Personal Achievement,” said United Soccer Coaches President Dr. Melissa Price. “Gaddis excelled on the field in college at West Virginia University and later for the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. More impressively, he has leveraged his success and platform to benefit the Philadelphia area and back home in Indiana through meaningful philanthropy, community service, and social activism.”A native of Indianapolis, Gaddis is arguably the most decorated defender in West Virginia men’s soccer history, where he helped lead the
Mountaineers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. He was a two-time All-BIG EAST selection and was a First Team then-NSCAA All-Region honoree in 2009. He earned All-America honors both in his time at West Virginia and in high school. He was a BIG EAST Academic All-Star and a Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll member at WVU.He was drafted in the second round of the 2012 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft by the Philadelphia Union. After nine years in the league, all with Philadelphia, he owned the franchise record for most career matches and minutes played, and tied for the record for most matches played in a single season.Off the pitch, Gaddis was very active in the community not only in Philadelphia and in his hometown of Indianapolis, but nationwide. He was a founding member and executive board member of MLS’ Black Players for Change (BPC), where he focused on helping develop programming and initiatives, and establish strategic partnerships to address racial inequalities, elevate Black voices, and stand with those fighting racism on the broader soccer scape.He helped bring a mini-pitch to Newark, N.J. in conjunction with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Adidas and Musco Lighting. It was the first of 12 planned mini-pitches to be built across the country as part of a long-term partnership aimed at breaking down systemic barriers that have kept children of color from playing soccer.He partnered with Chipotle and Honeygrow to provide meals to the homeless in Philadelphia. He has also worked with the Salvation Army and Bethesda House to deliver meals to a safe space for those in need. He had a similar initiative in Indianapolis, where he delivered food, clothing, coats, and insulated blankets to one of the tent cities.Gaddis helped bridge the digital divide in the Indianapolis public school system by working with local officials and the NFL Players’ Coalition to provide internet and hotspots for families who did not have online access helping to keep pace with their peers in school.
