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Mike Avery
Personal information
Date of birth (1968-09-19) September 19, 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth San Jose, California, United States
Position(s) Midfielder, forward
Team information
Current team
 Fort Wayne FC (head coach)
Youth career
1972–19?? Las Pulgas
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1989 Westmont Warriors 92 (25)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990 Real Santa Barbara
1991–1993 Askims IK
Indiana Invaders
Managerial career
1994–1996 Bethel Pilots
1996 Bethel Pilots (women)
1997–1999 Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes
1998–1999 Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes (women)
2007–2019 Valparaiso Crusaders
2020– Fort Wayne FC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mike Avery (born September 19, 1968) is an American soccer coach and former player who played as a midfielder or forward. He is the head coach of National Premier Soccer League club Fort Wayne FC. Avery appeared with Real Santa Barbara, Askims IK, and Indiana Invaders during a short playing career before going into coaching.

A native of San Jose, California, Avery played collegiately at Westmont College. The Warriors won four Golden State Athletic Conference titles during his time at the school and thrice qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament. After graduating, he spent four years at the senior level, split between Real Santa Barbara and Askims IK. Avery also had a spell as a player-coach with Indiana Invaders.

Avery went into coaching in 1994, spending three years as the men's head coach at Bethel and being named the first head coach in the history of the Pilots' women's program. He spent three years as the director of soccer at Cal State San Bernardino, coaching both the men's and women's teams at times during that spell. Avery was then a NCAA Division I assistant for the next seven years, spending six years at Notre Dame and one at Louisville. In 2007, Avery was named as the head coach at Valparaiso. He is the all-time winningest head coach in Crusader history, spending 13 years in the position before the program was discontinued by the university. After leaving Valpo, Avery moved to the senior level for the first time and was named as the inaugural head coach in Fort Wayne FC history.

Playing career

College

Born on September 19, 1968 in San Jose, California,[1] Avery began playing soccer at the age of four with his neighborhood team, Las Pulgas.[2] He went on to play at Westmont College between 1986 and 1989.[3] During his time at the school, the Warriors appeared in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national tournament three times.[4] As a freshman, Avery tallied six goals and six assists in 24 appearances as Westmont won the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) during their first year in the conference.[5][6] The Warriors repeated as conference champions in 1987, with Avery chipping in seven goals and 11 assists from 21 appearances on his way to an all-GSAC nod.[7][6] As a junior, he tallied four goals and six assists from 23 games and was again named all-GSAC as Westmont won their third consecutive conference title.[8][6] He put up eight goals and 11 assists in 24 games as a senior, with the Warriors winning another GSAC title and making a run to the semifinals of the NAIA Tournament.[6][9][10] Avery was named an Honorable Mention All-American following the season,[6] capping off a career in which he scored 25 goals in 92 appearances for Westmont and was named to the NAIA All-Far West team four times.[4][11]

Senior career

Following his graduation from Westmont, Avery turned professional by signing for Real Santa Barbara in the American Professional Soccer League and played for the club during their final season of existence.[3][12][13] After the club folded,[13] Avery moved to Sweden and appeared with Askims IK.[3] In later years, he also spent time in the Premier Development League with Indiana Invaders, playing as well as serving in an undisclosed coaching role with the club.[4][14]

Coaching career

Following his time in Sweden, Avery returned to the United States to pursue a master's degree in kinesiology at Midwestern State University. While studying for the degree, he also served as an assistant coach for their soccer program.[4][15]

1994–1999: Early head coaching jobs

In the fall of 1994, Avery was hired to his first head coaching position, getting the job at Bethel College in Indiana.[15][16] He would spend three seasons in charge of the Pilots, racking up a record of 42-21-4. In Avery's first year, the Pilots finished with a 10-9-1 record, including a 9–0 victory over Lake Erie in his first match in charge.[17] In 1995, the Pilots finished with 15 victories, their most since 1989; Avery was named as the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) North Central Region Coach of the Year and Mid-Central College Conference (MCCC) Coach of the Year.[17] He repeated as MCCC Coach of the Year in 1996, as the Pilots posted the best record in program history at 17-4-1.[17] Avery also took charge of the Bethel women's soccer team in 1996 as the first head coach in program history.[18]

In 1997, Avery was hired as the director of soccer at California State University, San Bernardino.[3][19] In his first year with the Coyotes, he was in charge of the men's program. Avery earned his first victory at CSUSB on September 20, after six consecutive losses to start the season, with a 2–1 victory over Midwestern State.[19] During Avery's tenure, the Coyote men's program improved their record each season.[16] He tallied a record of 17-39-2 during his three years in charge of the team.[19] In both 1998 and 1999, Avery also was the head coach of the women's soccer team at CSUSB. His first victory with the Coyote women came on September 9, 1998, a 2–1 win on the road against Cal State Bakersfield.[20] In both of Avery's seasons in charge, the Coyote women finished with eight victories as he departed with a record of 16-22-2.[20]

2000–2006: Division I assistant roles

Following the 1999 season, Avery was offered an assistant coaching position at the University of Notre Dame, on the staff of Mike Berticelli. However, Berticelli died on January 25, 2000, shortly after Avery had resigned at Cal State San Bernardino. Nearly two months later, on March 17, 2000, new Irish head coach Chris Apple officially confirmed that Avery would still be joining the staff at Notre Dame.[21][3] Avery spent six years at the school, one year under Apple and five years under Bobby Clark.[22] He, Clark, and Brian Wiese were named as the 2004 Big East Conference Coaching Staff of the Year.[1] As a recruiter, Avery helped bring 11 All-Americans to Notre Dame, as well as 2006 Hermann Trophy winner Joseph Lapira.[23] On March 3, 2006, Avery accepted a job as the head assistant and recruiting coordinator at the University of Louisville under head coach Ken Lolla. In his lone season with the Cardinals, Louisville qualified for the Big East Conference Men's Soccer Tournament for the first time in the program's history.[23][16]

2007–2019: Head coach at Valparaiso

On January 18, 2007, Avery was hired as the head coach at Valparaiso University; he became the third coach in the history of the Crusaders men's soccer team.[23] He joined his wife, Carin, at Valpo; she had been on the staff of the Crusaders' volleyball team since 1999.[24][21] Avery's first match in charge ended in a 2–1 defeat to North Carolina State on August 31;[25] one week later, he earned his first win with Valpo with a 3–0 victory over IPFW.[26] The Crusaders won four matches on the season and did so while conceding 28 goals, the third-fewest allowed in a single season in Valpo history.[27]

In 2008, Avery ran 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) in five months to raise money for lights at Eastgate Field and new equipment for the program.[28] That year, the Crusaders picked up their first victory over a ranked program in six seasons, defeating no. 25 Bradley on September 12 at the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic.[29] The following season, Valpo finished in third place in the Horizon League and tallied a winning record for the first time under Avery, winding up 10-7-2.[30]

After a nine-win season in 2010,[31] Avery and the Crusaders won the 2011 Horizon League regular season title, the school's first team title since joining the conference.[4] After the Crusaders finished 9-6-5, Avery was tabbed as the league's Coach of the Year.[32] The Crusaders would end up with a losing record over the next two seasons, however, finishing with a 6-9-4 record in 2012 and a mark of 5-8-5 in 2013.[31]

In 2014, Valpo received votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America national poll, doing so for the first time in school history.[33][34] That mark came the same week that the Crusaders defeated no. 7 Michigan State by a 1–0 scoreline, the highest-ranked opponent that Valpo had ever beaten.[35] Later that season, Valpo earned a no. 25 ranking in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll, the first time the Crusaders ever earned a top-25 national ranking.[36][34] Avery's team went 8-5-6 on the season, with the .579 winning percentage tied as the best mark in program history.[23] That campaign would be followed by two more winning seasons, as the Crusaders tallied seven wins in 2015 and tied the school record with a 10-win season in 2016.[31][23]

Avery became the all-time winningest coach in Crusader history on September 16, 2017. With a 3–2 victory on the road against Drake, he earned his 77th victory and surpassed Mis' Mrak for the Crusader record.[37] Earlier that season, the men's soccer team had played Valparaiso's first game as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), tallying a 2–1 victory over Loyola on September 1.[38][39] In 2018, Avery led the Crusaders to a third-place finish in the MVC regular season; it was the highest conference finish by a Crusader program since joining the Valley.[40]

The Crusaders would finish with their worst record under Avery in 2019, ending with a 4-13-1 record.[31] On November 13, Valpo was defeated by Drake in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament.[41] The 2–1 defeat was the final match in program history. One week later, the university discontinued the men's soccer program.[42][43] Avery left as the program leader in wins, picking up 91 over his 13 seasons in charge, and led the program to nine of the 10 best defensive seasons in Crusader history.[4][31]

2020–present: Fort Wayne FC

On February 14, 2020, Avery was hired as the first head coach in Fort Wayne FC history.[44] The National Premier Soccer League expansion club had previously agreed to terms with a coach "with past experience playing in the Premier League", but were unable to complete the deal due to visa issues.[45] Avery had previously assisted the club during its open tryouts earlier that year.[46]

Personal life

Avery's wife, Carin, is the head volleyball coach at Valparaiso.[24] The two met in 1996 when they were both working at Bethel.[21] The couple have two sons: Alex, who was born the day before the Mid-Continent Conference volleyball tournament in 2003,[21] and Kasongo, who was adopted from Africa.[47]

Career statistics

As of November 20, 2019
Team From To Record
G W L T Win % Ref.
Bethel Pilots 1994 1996 67 42 21 4 062.69 [17]
Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes August 30, 1997 November 1, 1999 58 17 39 2 029.31 [19]
Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes (women) September 1, 1998 October 30, 1999 40 16 22 2 040.00 [20]
Valparaiso Crusaders August 31, 2007 November 13, 2019 242 91 105 46 037.60 [31]
Total 407 166 187 54 040.79

Honors

Team

Westmont
Valparaiso

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mike Avery – Notre Dame profile". UND.com. Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  2. ^ Neville, Steven (October 5, 2016). "A Valpo life in the spotlight: Mike Avery". Valpo.life. Ideas in Motion Media. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Mike Avery named assistant men's soccer coach". UND.com. Notre Dame Fighting Irish. March 17, 2000. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Mike Avery – Valparaiso profile". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  5. ^ a b "1986 Westmont men's soccer statistics". Athletics.Westmont.edu. Westmont Warriors. July 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Men's Soccer Awards and Honors". Athletics.Westmont.edu. Westmont Warriors. November 26, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  7. ^ "1987 Westmont men's soccer statistics". Athletics.Westmont.edu. Westmont Warriors. July 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. ^ "1988 Westmont men's soccer statistics". Athletics.Westmont.edu. Westmont Warriors. July 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  9. ^ "Westmont men's soccer NAIA Tournament history". Athletics.Westmont.edu. Westmont Warriors. November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  10. ^ "1989 Westmont men's soccer statistics". Athletics.Westmont.edu. Westmont Warriors. July 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Polin, Mitch (November 21, 1989). "College Division: UC Riverside's Benson Going Out in Style". LATimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 30, 2010. The Warriors also placed forwards Peter Bourland and Darren Fishman and midfielders Justin Wall and Mike Avery on the all-district team.
  12. ^ "1990 in American soccer". RSSSF.com. RSSSF. October 25, 2003. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Crossley, Drew (March 15, 2019). "1989-1990 Real Santa Barbara". FunWhileItLasted.net. Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  14. ^ "USL Premier Development League team list". PDL.USLSoccer.com. Premier Development League. Archived from the original on May 24, 2005. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "NCCAA News Update: October 1994" (PDF). TheNCCAA.org. National Christian College Athletic Association. October 1994. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  16. ^ a b c "Mike Avery Joins Men's Soccer Staff". GoCards.com. Louisville Cardinals. March 3, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c d e f "Bethel Men's Soccer record book" (PDF). BUPilots.com. Bethel Pilots. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  18. ^ "Bethel Women's Soccer record book" (PDF). BUPilots.com. Bethel Pilots. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  19. ^ a b c d "Cal State San Bernardino Men's Soccer all-time results" (PDF). CSUSBAthletics.com. Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes. June 6, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  20. ^ a b c "Cal State San Bernardino Women's Soccer all-time results" (PDF). CSUSBAthletics.com. Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes. June 6, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d Oren, Paul (October 9, 2010). "Mike and Carin Avery concentrate on raising a family while leading VU to the NCAA tournament". NWITimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  22. ^ "Irish Assistants Brian Wiese And Mike Avery Take New Positions At Georgetown And Louisville, Respectively". UND.com. Notre Dame Fighting Irish. March 1, 2006. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  23. ^ a b c d e "Mike Avery Tabbed Valpo's New Men's Soccer Coach". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. January 18, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  24. ^ a b "Carin Avery – Valparaiso volleyball profile". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  25. ^ "Crusaders Fall 2–1 to N.C. State in Season Opener". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. August 31, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  26. ^ "Valpo Shuts Out IPFW 3–0 to Earn Season's First Victory". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. September 8, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  27. ^ "2007 Valpo Men's Soccer Year in Review". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. December 17, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  28. ^ Oren, Paul (July 17, 2008). "Mike Avery plans to run 1,000 miles to raise money for Valparaiso men's soccer team". NWITimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  29. ^ "Crusaders Down #25 Bradley in Neutral-Site Showdown". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  30. ^ "Valpo Falls to Green Bay in Horizon League Semifinal". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. November 13, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2019. The 2009 Crusader side ended the season with a 10-7-2 overall record, breaking the previous program record for victories (9, 1987) and also becoming the first squad since 1987 to finish above .500.
  31. ^ a b c d e f "Valparaiso Men's Soccer all-time results" (PDF). ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  32. ^ Bill Potter (November 7, 2011). "Horizon League Announces Men's Soccer Award Winners" (PDF) (Press release). Indianapolis: Horizon League. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  33. ^ "Crusaders Gain Highest-Ever Regional Ranking, Receive National Votes". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  34. ^ a b "Men's Soccer Returns to League Play at Milwaukee Saturday". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. October 2, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  35. ^ "Valparaiso notches program's first top-10 win". NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association. September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  36. ^ "Crusaders Ranked Ninth In RPI, 25th in TDS Poll". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. September 29, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  37. ^ Condry, Paul (September 17, 2017). "Avery Breaks Men's Soccer Program Record as Valpo Erases Two-Goal Deficit to Defeat Drake". RRSN.com. Regional Radio Sports Network. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  38. ^ Edmonds, Tim (October 18, 2017). "Valparaiso Adjusting Well to MVC Competition". LoyolaPhoenix.com. Loyola Phoenix. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  39. ^ "Crusaders Make Grand Entrance to Missouri Valley Conference with Win Over Loyola". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. September 1, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  40. ^ "2019 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Media Guide" (PDF). MVC-Sports.com. Missouri Valley Conference. August 20, 2019. pp. 11–15. Retrieved January 6, 2020. Valpo finished third in the regular season standings, marking the highest Valley finish by a Valpo team in any sport since the University joined the Missouri Valley Conference in July 2017.
  41. ^ "Men's Soccer Edged in Overtime in MVC Tournament Quarterfinal". ValpoAthletics.com. Valparaiso Crusaders. November 13, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  42. ^ Weinstein, Robbie (November 20, 2019). "Valparaiso to drop men's soccer, men's tennis". NWITimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  43. ^ Weinstein, Robbie (December 7, 2019). "Update: Valparaiso soccer players, alums react as program dissolves". NWITimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  44. ^ "Fort Wayne FC Welcomes Head Coach Mike Avery". FortWayneFC.com. Fort Wayne FC. February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  45. ^ @FortWayneFC (December 11, 2019). "Fort Wayne FC has agreed to terms with a head coach from the United Kingdom with past experience playing in the English Premier League. He is also presently coaching in the United Kingdom. The club is in the process of acquiring the required visa. Stay tuned" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  46. ^ @coachmikeavery (January 2, 2020). "Enjoyable day evaluating players for the inaugural @FortWayneFC season. Some talent on show for sure and a first class operation all the way around. That will be a fun group to watch. Good luck!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  47. ^ Oren, Paul (November 1, 2014). "Crusaders soccer team promotes diversity after several racial incidents last season". NWITimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved September 24, 2019. ...he, along with his wife (Valparaiso volleyball coach) Carin, has a 6-year-old adopted son from Africa named Kasongo.
  48. ^ Oren, Paul (October 30, 2011). "Valparaiso soccer programs gearing up for the postseason". NWITimes.com. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  49. ^ Polin, Mitch (December 8, 1987). "College Division : It Pays to Play the Top Teams Once in a While". LATimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 30, 2010. The Westmont men's soccer team, which finished second to Biola in the NAIA District III, has placed six players on the All-Far West team selected by the National Soccer Coaches Assn. They are goaltender Butch Grosvenor, defenders Richard Smith and Shayne Wulterin, forwards Mike Walker and Mike Avery...
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