Wheaton's Bean Announces Retirement at end of 2006 Season

Reprinted with permission from Wheaton College.

WHEATON, Ill. – Joe Bean, the winningest men’s soccer coach in collegiate soccer history, has announced that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2006 men’s soccer season next fall. Bean will enter his final season with a career record of 591-176-56, for a 75.2% winning percentage in 44 seasons as a head coach. Bean has more victories than any soccer coach at any level in college soccer history. He will also enter the 2006 season just nine victories shy of becoming the first collegiate soccer coach to reach 600 victories.

His Wheaton teams have made 31 postseason appearances with a record of 40-25-2 (61.2% winning percentage). Bean has guided his squads to four NCAA Division III Final Four appearances, with National Championships in 1984 and 1997. His 1999 team was Division III National runner-up and Wheaton’s 1990 team was also a National Semifinalist. Wheaton has won a total of 23 conference championships under Bean’s tenure. He has guided the program to 14 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships (1988-2005); five Midwest Metropolitan Soccer Conference (MMSC) Championships (1981-87); three Illinois-Indiana Soccer Conference (IISC) Championships (1970-78) and one Michigan-Illinois-Indiana Soccer Conference (MIISC) Championship (1966-1969).

Bean says of his pending departure, “It seems like this is the right time after 44 years as a collegiate coach and 37 of them at Wheaton . The team that we will have next year is a neat bunch of guys and will be a good group to go out with.” Bean added, “It is has been a grand ride. I couldn’t have planned my life any better. That is why I am grateful that God has done it for me.” The longtime Thunder mentor concluded, “The accomplishments are a credit to all of the players I have been fortunate to coach. Out of the hundreds I have coached over the past 37 seasons at Wheaton I can only think of three that did not graduate. That speaks to the quality of the young men I have been blessed to coach over the years.”

Tony Ladd, Director of Athletics at Wheaton praised Bean not only for the records he has achieved on the soccer field but also for the impact he has had on the lives of hundreds of Wheaton College students who have played on his soccer teams.

“He has set the standard for the next generation of coaches at Wheaton College and across the nation”. Ladd added, “Others will now need to take up the challenge to serve with the competence and integrity that has marked his career. NCAA soccer will miss a respected leader.”