Born and raised in the Greater Manchester area, John Pearson developed two loves growing up in the Fifties and Sixties – Manchester City Football Club and American music.
After studying at the University of Swansea in 1967, and then for an MA at University of London, he first visited the US in the summer of 1969 and worked in Nashville, cementing a lifelong relationship with the second of those loves.
In the fall of 1971, after graduate studies at University of Tennessee, he landed an administrative position there, working in student exchange development and study abroad programmes. He also coached the Vols’ mens’ soccer team to an SEC Championship.
John moved to Stanford University in 1985 and became Director of the Bechtel International Center and Assistant Vice-Provost for Student Affairs. He married Cindy in 1990 and in 1998 they adopted their son Jack from Ukraine.
John became a US citizen in 2013 and retired three years later, moving his family to Boise, Idaho.
As someone who has followed City through tough times and marginally better times, to where they stand today as one of the most dominant European club sides, John understandably has opinions about how they got there and what their ongoing success means for the game we both love.
You can read our conversation – ‘Blue Moon and Great Balls of Fire’ here
States of Play 