As a student, Jan van Gooswilligen was first selected for the Dutch national team in 1958. In the next 6 years, he would win 58 caps, 38 as the team captain. During that period he played in two Olympic Games. On two occasions, Van Gooswilligen was involved in a row with the national team officials. In 1959, he and three other club mates left the national team in protest of the selectors, which eventually lead to a new group of selectors. At the 1964 Olympics, he was disciplined for “trash talking” during the match. With his club SCHC, he won the national title in 1959. After his hockey career, Van Gooswilligen became a urologist. He remained active in sports, winning the Dutch cycling championships for doctors a few times. Together with his wife, he founded an advisory center for sports medicine.