[1] While in high school, Rote Jr. helped to start the Black Bandits in the Dallas youth soccer league.
One of his goals of playing soccer was to stay in shape during the off-season to American tackle football.
But after receiving a broken leg in football practice, he decided to switch sports to soccer.
That season, he became the first American ever to lead the league in scoring (and the only U.S.-born player to do so in the NASL's 17-year history) and was named the Rookie of the Year.
[1] While with the Dallas Tornado, Rote Jr. and several teammates would sometimes fly in a day early to promote their team and the sport of soccer overall.
This might cause them to miss last-minute practices, but they were willing to do so for the long-term interests of both the Tornado and the sport of soccer in the United States.
[1] In August 1983, Rote took over as head coach of the Memphis Americans of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL).
[5] When the team moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, during the 1984 off-season, Rote chose to remain in Memphis.
Like the paddle game, the Kikari was a specialized soccer ball attached to weighted base (or stake) via an elastic string.