Toby Toler, John Mulligan, Lewis Price, Jonathon Block and Elliott Heward
While he was in town to referee soccer games for Dallas Cup, John Mulligan enjoyed the Lake Highlands hospitality of John and Leigh Ann Hicks, bunking in their extra bedroom and going out to dinner with their family.
When Mulligan, shown here in shorts and referred to as Little John while he was here to distinguish him from the very tall Jon Block who stayed at my home, returned to school in Carlisle, he reveled in his new-found rock-star status. The local newspaper ran his photo on the front page, describing his “meteoric rise” and recounting the number of games he officiated in the high-profile international youth soccer tournament.
“It was brilliant,” the Carlisle News and Star quoted Mulligan as saying, “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The experience benefited me 10-fold.”
Today, John is back at school, working with renewed vigor to become a professional referee. And, with the boost Dallas Cup has given him, he may just make it.
