We lost a Rochester soccer legend last week. Tom was instrumental in so much of what Rochester Soccer Club/Coed Soccer has been for numerous years. He did all our scheduling, reserved fields, organized refs…kept this league going. He was a phenomenal guy and will be greatly missed. Even in death, he’s supporting soccer in our community; his obituary says, “In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to MN Rush Youth Soccer.”

Below is a great note from Kevin Lowery, director of MN Rush:

It saddens me to pass along the great loss of a dear friend and soccer icon Tom Lawrence. Tom passed away on February 3rd 2023 at age 82. As you read below, he touched countless lives through his remarkable dedication to the sport and will be truly missed by all. Tom has been an integral part in the development of soccer in the state of Minnesota since 1976. As a coach, Tom began his coaching career for the Rochester Youth Soccer Association (RYSA) in 1981 and continued to coach until 2014. During this span, he coached both boys and girls’ teams ranging from U12 to U19 as well as at the high school level at John Marshall from 1990 until 1999.

Beyond Tom’s long coaching history, he also has dedicated his life to growing the sport through numerous means. They include: RYSA Club Register 1986–1993, RYSA Tournament Director 1987–1991 and 2000–2003, Referee Assignor 1991–present, RYSA Executive Board Member 1997–2000, Club Treasurer for Rochester Adult Soccer Club 2000–present and MYSA Treasurer and Board Member 1995–2014.

Up to just last month, Tom was still heavily involved in both youth and adult soccer with his passion centering on refereeing. Tom was the current referee assignor for all Rochester Youth Recreational Soccer games and Adult COED games In addition, he also assigned for the surrounding communities. Beyond the assigning, on any given Saturday you could find Tom refereeing several games or mentoring our next generation of referees.

His passion and love for the game and the youth is extraordinary. Through his dedication to the sport, Tom was recognized in 1990 with the Paul Hudson Award, in 2005 he was inducted into the Rochester Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame and finally in 2018 Tom was inducted into the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame.

As you can clearly see, Tom touched countless lives and is a true icon for the sport! We are all blessed to have had him in our life.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at 11am at Congregational Church (974 Skyline Drive SW, Rochester, MN 55902)