October 8, 2021 is a day we pay tribute to three iconic coaches/board members for the Ballistic United Soccer Club – Larry Boldrini, Harry Miller, and Ian Lang – with the dedication and addition of their names to the Pleasanton Sports Memorial at the Ken Mercer Sports Park.
The Memorial was dedicated in August of 1995 and pays tribute to “Those individuals who gave unselfishly of themselves to Pleasanton and its sports programs.”
It pays tribute to those that have passed.
All three were members of the Inaugural BUSC Hall of Fame, and all three were both State Cup winning coaches, as well as dedicated BUSC Board Members.
The three spent countless hours of their personal time in building Ballistic United from its inception to the iconic youth soccer club it is today.
Following is a brief story on all three men.
Larry Boldrini
Larry was one of the four founding fathers of the Ballistic United Soccer Club over 50 years ago.
Mr. B as he was known by the legions of players that were fortunate to play under his tutelage, was the Under-19 coach for Ballistic for years.
Along the way Mr. B coached two Ballistic teams to state titles, with the last coming in 1978. That team included current Ballistic Executive Director Kevin Crow.
On top of the BUSC HOF, Mr. B was honored by both the California Youth Soccer Association and Tri-Valley Sports Hall of Fames.
Larry was instrumental in starting a men’s team so Ballistic players that had aged out of youth soccer had a place to play, and one year coached that team to the Northern California Amateur Championship.
Mr. B passed July 7, 2016, at the age of 90.
Harry Miller
Harry passed on August 10, 2021, at the age of 86.
Miller took Ballistic from a Tri-Valley powerhouse to a well-known California, and North American program with his Under-12 teams.
His teams won multi California State Cups, Western Regionals, National and International tournaments from Canada to Mexico.
His first state title came in 1972, with team being hosted and feted in the California State Legislature by then Governor Ronald Reagan.
His teams were known for their disciplined excellence, traits that many of his former players have instilled in their children and teams they coached.
In addition to the BUSC HOF honor, Miller was inducted into several other Hall of Fames, and was honored on more than one occasion by local civic organizations.
Ian Lang
One of the first coaches to come to Ballistic that had a vast soccer background.
Lang was from Scotland, coming to United States in June of 1965.
He was adored by his players as Lang would lace up the shoes and do battle with his team during practice. His tenacity carried over to his players that had a chance up close to see what Lang preached put into practice.
Amongst the achievements Lang’s teams racked up was the championship of a major International Tournament in Mexico City in the summer of 1978. It may be the biggest title won by a BUSC team.
The semifinals of the tournament included Ballistic, the national champs of Mexico and Canada, as well as one of the top ranked junior teams from Brazil.
Lang passed December 8, 2020, at the age of 79.
