SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that former captain Ramiro Corrales has been elected to the Earthquakes Hall of Fame. Corrales, a 15-year MLS veteran, will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame at the club’s match against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Sep. 5 at Avaya Stadium.
“Ramiro truly deserves to be in the Earthquakes Hall of Fame,” said Earthquakes general manager John Doyle. “He gave everything for this club for many years and grew from a young teenager in 1996 to the captain. He is a fantastic representative for this club and it is great to see him recognized for his outstanding career.”
Corrales wrote and then continued to rewrite the Earthquakes’ record books during his career. He is the club’s all-time leader in games played (250), starts (228) and minutes played (20,188). The Salinas, Calif. native is also No. 4 in Earthquakes history with 32 assists and No. 11 with 16 goals. Corrales’ 306 career MLS appearances are tied for the 22nd most in league history. He was the last player to retire that played during MLS’ inaugural season in 1996 when he stepped away at the conclusion of the 2013 season.
“I am very happy to be inducted into the Earthquakes Hall of Fame,” said Corrales. “This is my hometown club and I have a lot of great memories playing in front of the fans here. I want to thank all of my teammates and coaches over the years for pushing me to play my best every day. I am looking forward to Sept. 5 and seeing my former teammates and the fans again.”
The longtime Quakes captain began his career as the No. 81 overall pick by the Columbus Crew in the 1996 Inaugural Player Draft. He was immediately traded to the San Jose Clash for a second-round pick in the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft and made his debut on April 28, 1996 against the LA Galaxy as an 87th-minute substitute for Victor Melia.
Corrales played two seasons with the Clash before joining the Miami Fusion via the 1997 Expansion Draft. After starting the 1998 season with the Fusion and making one appearance, Corrales was on the move again, this time heading to the MetroStars in exchange for defender Carlos Parra. During the next two and a half years, Corrales recorded five assists in 56 appearances with the MetroStars and helped them reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in 1998 and 2000.
On February 22, 2001, Corrales was on his way back to San Jose after the Earthquakes traded goalkeeper Paul Grafer to the MetroStars for the veteran defender. Corrales became a key member of the squad during its most successful stint in the league, helping San Jose to MLS Cup titles in 2001 and 2003. He recorded career highs in goals and assists in 2002 with three and nine, respectively, and was a mainstay in the starting lineup from 2002-04.
After four successful seasons in San Jose, Corrales decided to make a move to Europe. He signed with Norwegian side Hamarkameratene (Ham-Kam) following the 2004 MLS season and remained there until being transferred to SK Brann in 2007. He was named team MVP with Ham-Kam in 2006 and helped SK Brann win its first league title in 44 years in 2007.
Corrales returned to San Jose for good in 2008. The Earthquakes traded for Corrales’ right of first refusal from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for allocation money, paving the way for his homecoming. After returning, Corrales notched seven goals and 18 assists in 129 games from 2008 to 2013. He had one of the best seasons of his career at 35 years old in 2012, tallying two goals and seven assists while helping the club to its second Supporters’ Shield.
Internationally, Corrales earned six caps for the United States National Team and represented his home country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. His first appearance for the senior team came on Oct. 16 against Peru in Lima.
Corrales will be the ninth person inducted into the Earthquakes Hall of Fame.
About the Earthquakes Hall of Fame
The San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame was created in 2005 and currently has eight members, John Doyle, Ronald Cerritos, Troy Dayak, Milan Mandaric (Builder), Paul Child, Gabbo Gavric, Peter Bridgwater (Builder) and Johnny Moore. Members of the Hall of Fame are selected by a Hall of Fame Committee that consists of former players, administrators and members of the media. To be eligible for the Earthquakes Hall of Fame, a person must have contributed significantly to the success of the club on or off the field. People can be inducted in two categories: player or builder. The players inducted must have played a minimum of two years for the team and made a major impact on the field of play. Players inducted must also be people of the highest moral integrity. Their service to the community can also be factored into their election to the Hall. Builders can be coaches, owners or administrators and they must have contributed significantly to the growth of the club on or off the field. They also must be people of the highest moral integrity.
