Conversations with Doug Miller

Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Miller. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Doug Miller was born in Succasunna, New Jersey, in May of 1969 to Jim and Jackie Miller. Their loving marriage of over fifty years produced 4 children, Doug being the youngest. Doug’s three older sisters gave him 5 beautiful nieces and 3 handsome nephews. His father was a furniture salesman, and his mother was a devoted stay-at-home Mom. This allowed her the extra time she needed to drive Doug all over New Jersey to follow his dream of playing soccer. As part of his successful career, he contributes to his mother. He might have made it as far as he did with her patience and great sacrifice. His family still resides in the same area where he originally grew up.

Doug’s first real exposure to soccer came early one Christmas morning at the age of 4. We must credit his father with introducing Doug to the game of soccer, as his presence at a soccer ball that year started everything for Doug. At age 5, Doug begged his parents to let him join the neighborhood recreation center. There, he discovered his passion for soccer. He began playing and learning about the sport at the Roxbury Recreation Soccer League. Even at such a tender age, you could see the talent Doug possessed. People were impressed with how he handled the soccer ball and how well he interacted with the rest of his teammates. Ironically, Doug’s first coach at Roxbury Recreation, Greg Good, went on to marry his sister and become his current brother–in–law. After polishing his skills with the recreation league for three years, he moved to the Roxbury Traveling Team, where he spent many years touring, displaying his obvious talent and developing his skills.

• Doug’s High School & College Years

The first sign that Doug may have a future soccer career came at 14. He was a high school freshman playing on the varsity team, which was uncommon then. Even though the team did not do well, winning very few games, Doug’s determination grew more robust. During his first year of high school, the team had a devastating record of 1-16-1. Everyone thought this would hurt Doug’s chances at a full scholarship. Much to his surprise, Doug’s hard work was noticed, and he was offered a full scholarship to play soccer at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. Doug’s first two seasons at Loyola College were filled with polishing his skills and achieving growth as a player. During his junior year, his career started to take off. Doug became captain of the team and won many awards. Among Doug’s notable awards were All-State Honors, All-South Honors, and MAAC Conference Player of the Year. Doug graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and Public Relations. Upon completing college, Doug’s dream of playing soccer professionally became a reality. Doug was the number 1 draft pick for the Kansas City Comets Major League Soccer team.

• Doug’s Professional Career

Unfortunately, the reality of playing professional soccer was short-lived. After being drafted by the Kansas City Comets, the team went bankrupt and folded. This left Doug questioning his decision to play professional soccer versus seeking a communications job. Doug didn’t have much time to ask himself because, in October of 1991, the Baltimore Blast Major Indoor Soccer League signed him. After playing only one season, Doug was hit again with bad news. The entire Major Indoor Soccer League had folded. Again, Doug was left to ponder where his future was headed. He had dreamed most of his life of playing professional soccer, and both opportunities lasted only a short time. Before he could throw in the towel, the Harrisburg Heat in the National Professional Soccer League picked him up. He played for the Heat for one and a half years. Doug’s time in Pennsylvania’s state capital would give him the experience leading him to future success.

In March of 1994, Doug was traded to the Cleveland Crunch Soccer team. This would be his first real taste of success. The Cleveland Crunch team went on to win the NPSL championships in 1994 and 1996. He had finally become a part of a championship team. That summer, Doug returned to playing outdoor soccer for the New York Fever team in the American Professional Soccer League. This time felt different for Doug; he had returned as a pro. That spirit and his incredible ability to score goals got him noticed by many. A group of men playing rugby. The following indoor season with the Crunch, he turned tragic for Doug. He was forced to take the summer of 1995 off to allow his body to recuperate from his injuries. All was not lost for Doug; one blessing did come out of his time away from his team, a new desire he felt just as strongly about. Doug found he loved teaching the game and his soccer skills to children. Doug took over as the Director of Team USA Pro-Soccer Camp for children. Watching the children’s innocence and their immense desire to succeed made Doug’s recovery all that more important. He had a mission; he could not let the children down. They looked up to him and counted on him. But more importantly, they learned from his example. Doug wanted to show them that no matter what life throws their way, they had the power to change the outcome.

After much hard work, Doug returned to the Crunch the following season and was integral to Cleveland winning its second NPSL Championship in 1996. Near the end of the indoor soccer season, Doug received the call that would make Doug Miller a household name in our city of Rochester, New York. Rochester, New York, had no professional soccer team since the Rochester Lancers played for the old North American Soccer League in the 1970s. In 1996, this was going to change. The Rochester Raging Rhinos, an A-League expansion team, was about to start its inaugural season and wanted Doug to join. Rochester was ready for a new team, and Doug was prepared for a fresh chance to play professional soccer.

Doug’s first 12 games could have lived up to the expectations of the Rhino’s organization. They expected more out of what they believed to be their new star player. They were satisfied for a short time. The turning point came in the sold-out game that over 14 thousand Rochester fans will never forget. It was the first game ever played in the new Frontier Field Stadium in downtown Rochester on July 7, 1996. The Rhinos had gotten off to a poor start against the 1st place Montreal Impact. The Rhino’s were already 2-8 for the season when the looming loss of this game hit the crowd. At half time, the Rhinos had already fallen behind with the score of 2-0. Doug’s devotion to his fans was the motivating factor for him that day. He was not ready to give up. In the second half of the game, Doug came out on the field as if he had something to prove. His game-winning score at the last minute of the game was all the crowd needed to make Doug their hero. The win was a wild celebration for all the frenzied fans at the new Frontier Field Stadium. Over the next 1-½ seasons, Doug’s career with the Rhinos skyrocketed. Doug scored 45 goals in 50 games. He no longer had anything to prove to anyone, for he had finally made it in the big league. Despite the hard work of Doug and his teammates, the Rhinos came up short in the A-League finals and the U.S. Open title game against D.C. United. Despite losing the two championship games, Doug still managed to achieve success. He was named League All-Star for scoring 18 goals that season.

Doug decided he had found a new home in Western New York. One motive for staying in the area was the Buffalo Blizzard Indoor Winter Soccer team picking up his rights. Doug led the Blizzards in scoring for the 1996 – 1997 season. His talents on the field led the franchise to their first Northeast Conference Championship. This also led to a 4 year guaranteed contract. In the 1998–1999 season, Doug led the league in goals and scored 192 points for the team. In the 1997 outdoor season with the Rhinos, he started very slow for Doug. After scoring in the season-opening win against Hershey, Doug had difficulty finding the net, not scoring for the next 6 games straight. Knowing that he was letting his fans down was demanding. “Insignificant” was not how Doug wanted to be remembered, so he stepped up his game. Doug went on to net 22 goals in the next 18 games. That season turned out to be the best season of his professional career. Doug was named MVP of the expanded A-League Outdoor Soccer League. Miller’s 23 goals were the most scored by a player in the 90’s. Despite Doug’s incredible year, the Rhino’sRhinos finished the season with a 14-14 record and were eliminated in the first round of playoffs by the Long Island Rough Riders.

The 1998 season with the Rhino’s could have been better for Doug. He had played at the end of the prior season with a knee injury, which continued to limit his playing time during the 1998 season. Doug conquered his adversity and put the ball in the back of the net more than once during playoffs when it counted the most. The Rhino’sRhinos finished the 1999 season winning the US Open Cup Championship, with Doug scoring the goal. Doug continued to play for the Rhinos until the end of the 1999 season when they lost in the A-League championship. Doug’s return to the Buffalo Blizzard’s indoor soccer league was short-lived, as the team folded in the summer of 2001. In August of the same year, he joined the Hershey Wildcats for the outdoor soccer season. The Wildcats had a successful season, finishing 1st in their division and 2nd in the league. However, the championship finals against the Rhinos ended in disappointment, with the Wildcats unable to score when it mattered the most, resulting in a win for Doug’s old team. This was not how Doug envisioned the end of his illustrious professional career.

In December of 2002, Doug’s career came full circle as he was reunited with his old club, the Rochester Rhinos. The season was a rollercoaster of emotions as he again led his team to the playoffs. Despite a semi-final loss to Charleston, Doug’s return to the professional ranks was triumphant. His teammates recognized his performance and voted him as the team’s MVP. Doug eagerly looks forward to his potential return to the Rhinos in 2004, a testament to his enduring love for the game.

In October 2005, Doug played his final game for the Rochester Rhinos against the Richmond Kickers. Doug scored on a penalty kick to close out his professional career. A year later, the Rochester Rhinos retired #19 at an emotional ceremony for Doug and his family. DMS Academy was established in 2005 and continues to grow today. The principles of DMS are Desire, Determination, Dedication, Respect, and Integrity. This is the foundation of our program, which develops players on and off the field. In 2009, Doug purchased the Rochester Sports Dome in Spencerport, NY, and established a year-round soccer and golf facility. You can check out Glacier Ridge Sports Park at www.glacierridgesportspark.com.

• The Rochester Business Journal featured Doug in their article. You can read it here.

In November 2011, Doug Miller retired at 42 to play for the 2011-2012 Rochester Lancers, the newest Rochester professional team, in the newly established MISL. If there were any doubts about whether he could still play, Doug answered them quickly and emphatically. He scored 25 goals and totaled 66 points for the season. Doug was named team MVP, making him an MVP in three decades. Again, in 2013, Doug was named the MISL goal-scoring leader and League MVP. Doug went on to coach the Rochester Lancers MASL team in 2015 to their first playoff appearance before the team folded in 2015.

DMS has grown to its largest size ever. The program has 20 teams and 300 players, with potential and possibilities. The introduction of DMS’s Youth Development Program promises greater access for the area’s youngest players to the best training environment in Rochester.

In 2017, Doug was an intricate part of bringing back the Rochester Lancers NPSL team to Rochester and, over the past two seasons, ended each year with a 6-3-3 record. In both seasons, they were one point off making the playoffs. In 2018, The Indoor Rochester Lancers debuted at the New Dome Arena, playing in MASL 2. Doug coached the inaugural re-birth season to finish in 3rd place with the success of the Rochester Lancers NPSL, UWS, and MASL teams. Doug decided to re-brand its youth program into the Rochester Lancers Academy. This will allow local players to play for a youth club directly related to the Rochester Lancers NPSL, UWS, and MASL teams. “This is a true pathway for players in the Rochester community to develop from an early age through college and beyond,” said Miller. Doug Miller resides in Windermere, FL, with his wife of 25 years, Kari, and his two daughters, Kayla and Kalista.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life is full of struggles, but those are the things that define who we will become. God only gives you the things you can handle, and you can overcome anything with his strength. Ultimately, we are not judged on the failure but on how quickly we get up and move true north!

Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your work next?
I have played professional soccer for 27 years. I have been coaching, educating, motivating, and inspiring kids in the game of soccer for the past 33 years. I have played professionally in 4 different decades and have won multiple championships. I am most proud of my wife and family, being married for 25 years, and our kids love being around us. My mentality sets us apart.

• Desire – to be your best
• Determination – work harder than others.
• Dedication – never quit
• Respect – yourself and your peers
• Integrity – when no one is looking

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
God is still in control, and we cannot allow the government to take our GOD-given rights away. Always do what is right, even when it is difficult.

Pricing:

• Camps – $299
• Private lessons – $90

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dougmillersoccer.com
• Instagram: @dougmillersoccer19