Bob Dougherty Soccer Award

Bob Dougherty was born in 1965 in Livermore, California and graduated from Livermore High School in 1983. He started in AYSO soccer until he got into high school when he joined Livermore Soccer Club and played on more competitive teams. As a junior, Bob was a goalie on Livermore High School’s NCS Championship team where he was instrumental in their defeat of, arch-rival, Amador High, in penalty kicks. Before a standing-room crowd at Amador High School, Bob made several amazing saves in regulation and overtime before saving three penalty kicks to seal the victory.

Bob attended UC Davis where he played one year on the Junior Varsity team before becoming the number one keeper for the next three years. Bob’s senior year the Aggies were ranked #1 in the United States (Division II) for most of the year but lost in the conference championship final to miss out on the NCAA tournament.

At UC Davis, Bob was frequently pushing the limits on what he could get away with. His close friends would say he was a “typical goalie who was cocky (not arrogant) and had quick wit.” As a teammate, he was always there for his friends. He was most famous for always bringing a backpack wherever the team traveled. Need tape? Bob had it. Need scissors? Bob had them. Need a chew? Bob had it. He was always there for his teammates – ALL the time. One of Bob’s teammates made the comment “Whether it was family, friends or strangers, their needs came before his own.”

In March 2017, Bob died from pancreatic cancer, leaving behind his wife, two young children and very loving parents and siblings. This scholarship was set up by Bob’s teammates and is awarded to currently active UC Davis Men’s Soccer student-athlete(s) in good academic standing who possesses a self- identified, undeniable passion for the game of soccer. A few weeks before Bob died, we told him that we had set up this soccer scholarship bearing his name. Thankful, and with tears in his eyes, he thanked us for this gesture. Up until the very end, Bob was selfless and refused to fall into despair, even as it became apparent that he wasn’t going to survive from cancer.

If you are interested in learning more about the Bob Dougherty Soccer Award and how it was founded, click here for an article featured on ucdavisaggies.com in the fall of 2020.