NEW YORK — One of the greatest players and supporters in Columbia men's soccer history, Amr Aly '85CC has been selected as an honoree at this year's NYC Soccer Gala, scheduled for February 25 at the New York Athletic Club.
 
The NYC Soccer Gala is a celebration of collegiate soccer in the New York City metropolitan area. Co-hosted by St. John's, Fordham and St. Francis, the event honors legends of the sport in addition to stars of the local programs. The 2020 celebration will be the seventh in the series. Headline honorees include former US Men's National Team Head Coach Bruce Arena, as well as ESPN's Bob Ley, St. John's Huey Ferguson, St. Francis College's Phil LaSpisa and Fordham's Jim McElderry. Previous Columbia honorees include Dieter Ficken, Rocco B. Commisso, Pete DiMaggio and his son Michael, Charles Balsamo, and Sal Rosamilia.
 
"I am extremely proud to be honored along with this year's distinguished group who have done so much for soccer both locally and nationally," Aly said. "The Columbia soccer program has held a special place in my heart going back to when coach Dieter Ficken swooped in last-minute and convinced my parents to turn down a full scholarship and instead take a chance on an Ivy League education. Columbia, along with the US National Team program, has afforded me the opportunity to experience so much and see the world. I want to thank the NYC Soccer Gala for this tremendous honor."
 
A 2014 inductee into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame, Aly has a long list of achievements headlined by his receipt of the Hermann Award as the nation's top collegiate soccer player in 1984. Aly has been a significant supporter of the Columbia soccer program since his graduation, currently serving as the Chairman of the Friends of Columbia University Men's Soccer.
 
Aly came to Columbia from Brooklyn, where he grew up playing soccer for S.C. GJOA and the Brooklyn Italians – prior to that from Cairo, Egypt. He immediately made his mark on the Lions by registering 10 goals and three assists on the 1980 Ivy League championship team. After taking the 1981 season off to compete internationally for the US Youth National Team, Aly returned in 1982 for another Ivy League championship as well as First Team All-Ivy and Second Team All-Region honors. In Columbia men's soccer's most successful season of all time, Aly's contributions helped the Lions reach the NCAA National Championship with a perfect 18-0 record before ultimately falling 1-0 to Indiana. For his efforts, Aly garnered First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-Region, and Third Team All-America honors. In his final season with the Lions in 1984, Aly completed his own Ivy League Championship sweep, matched his previous season's honors and was also named All-America Second Team in addition to receiving the Hermann Award. Aly is still the only Lion in the program's history to receive that prestigious player of the year honor.
 
Aly's contributions on the field speak for themselves, but his continued support of the men's soccer program and Columbia athletics is exemplary. Aly can often be found cheering on the Lions in the stands of the Rocco B. Commisso Stadium at Baker Field. The details of Aly's sparkling resume never reached his own ego, and teammates, friends, and colleagues all commend Aly for his kindness, respect, and support, particularly for all things related to Columbia.

Aly is now a partner with the Jenner & Block law firm, specializing in intellectual property matters. He is married to his wife of 28 years, Elizabeth, and they have two children, Stephen and Olivia. 

Columbia men's soccer and the entire Columbia University athletic department congratulate Amr Aly for this tremendous recognition - thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for the Lions! For more information about the event, please visit www.nycsoccergala.com. If you are interested in attending or supporting the event, please fill out this short form.
 
For the latest on the Columbia men's soccer program, follow @ColumbiaMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaMensSoccer and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.