Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year Award Named After Wheaton’s Bean

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Wheaton men’s soccer coach Joe Bean will retire at the end of the 2006 season, but his name will live on every time a men’s soccer coach in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) is given a coach of the year award.

That’s because the soccer coaches in the CCIW proposed that the name of this yearly award be changed from the “coach of the year” award to the “Joe Bean Coach of the Year” award. The athletics directors unanimously approved this decision and the change takes affect this season.

North Park men’s soccer coach John Born, the reigning coach of the year award winner whose team has won the last two CCIW championships, feels that nothing could be more right when it came to changing the name.

“Joe is CCIW soccer,” Born said. “He has put our conference on the map not only through his longevity, but also because of his success. He’s not only a great soccer coach, but a great man and we’re going to miss him.”

Bean will begin the 2006 season with a career record of 591-176-56 in 44 seasons as a head coach (37 at Wheaton). He has more victories than any coach at any level in college soccer history and is just nine wins shy of becoming the first collegiate soccer coach to reach 600 victories.

“Joe Bean has been one of the most successful coaches in the history of the CCIW and I’m happy that the coaches decided to honor him this way,” CCIW commissioner Chris Martin said. “I certainly wish him nothing but the best in his final year with Wheaton and in his retirement.”

Bean’s Wheaton teams have won two NCAA Division III National Championships (1984, 1997) as well as four NCAA Division III Final Four appearances. In addition, his teams have made 31 postseason appearances, won 14 CCIW Championships, five Midwest Metropolitan Soccer Conference (MMSC) Championships, three Illinois-Indiana Soccer Conference (IISC) Championships and one Michigan-Illinois-Indiana Soccer Conference (MIISC) Championship.