A longtime player, coach and trainer of elite soccer players, the crowning achievement for Gogas occurred in 1989, when he coached the St. Petersburg Kickers to the prestigious U.S. Open championship. The Kickers became the first Florida team to win the trophy. 

Gogas, a native of Greece and a restaurant owner, had amateur teams that won more than 50 national titles in various leagues and one squad even had a 53-game unbeaten streak. He built dynasties in the Suncoast Soccer League that spanned generations. 

“Steve always had a knack,’’ said Jim Di Nobile, a former Kickers goalkeeper and a 2025 inductee into the Tampa Bay Soccer Hall of Fame. “He always had to coach good players and then their egos. Steve could always do that consistently.’’ 

“He had the great ability to adapt to every type of personality,’’ former Kickers goalkeeper Skip Miller said. “He always has the right mix of players on the field at the right time. He can always tell who will flow the best.’’ 

Gogas was also a dedicated personal coach for several notable players, including Peter Ward, the North American Soccer League’s Most Valuable Player in 1982, and Steve Trittschuh, a former U.S. National Team player and the first American to play in the World Cup, Olympics and European Cup (now known as the Champions League). 

Gogas was inducted into the halls of fame for the United States Adult Soccer Association and the Florida State Soccer Association.