Ken Pears (born April 12, 1934 in Vancouver, Canada) is a former Canadian elite professional soccer player. He was a four-time national champion with Canadian clubs Westminster Royals (1953), Vancouver Halecos (1956), Vancouver Columbus (1964) and Vancouver Firefighters (1965). He was also Canada's starting goalkeeper for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1957. After his retirement, he was part of the inaugural class honoured by the Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000.
Pears was the top goalkeeper in Canada in the 1950s and early 1960s. He made six appearances for the British Columbia All-Stars including shutting out English First Division club Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Empire Stadium in 1957.
Pears played club soccer with Capilanos and the Vancouver Halecos. He had ten shutouts in helping Capilanos win the Imperial and Provincial Cups and the Mainland League's first division title.
Pears was Canada's first World Cup goalkeeper, appearing in all four qualifying games played in 1957. He was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and in April 2000, the The Soccer Hall of Fame.
Famous quotes containing the words ken and/or pears:
“Is America a land of God where saints abide for ever? Where golden fields spread fair and broad, where flows the crystal river? Certainly not flush with saints, and a good thing, too, for the saints sent buzzing into man’s ken now are but poor- mouthed ecclesiastical film stars and cliché-shouting publicity agents.
Their little knowledge bringing them nearer to their ignorance,
Ignorance bringing them nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to God.”
—Sean O’Casey (1884–1964)
“The pears are not seen
As the observer wills.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)