Wheaton names new men's soccer coach

Story reprinted with permission from Wheaton College Sports Information

WHEATON, Ill. -- Wheaton College (Ill.) Athletic Director Tony Ladd has announced the hiring of Dr. Michael Giuliano as the head coach of the Thunder men’s soccer program. Giuliano replaces Joe Bean, who retired as head coach of the Thunder in December. Giuliano becomes the 15th head coach in the 72-year history of the Wheaton men’s soccer program, and just the fifth head coach since 1951.

Giuliano comes to Wheaton from San Diego State University, where he spent the past three years as the head women’s soccer coach. Prior to his tenure at the helm of the Aztecs, Giuliano spent 11 years as the head women’s soccer coach at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He guided the Warriors to four National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships in his time at Westmont. Giuliano served one season as the head women’s soccer coach at Santa Barbara City College (1992) and he was the head men’s soccer coach at Trinity College (now Trinity International University) in Deerfield, Illinois for five years (1986-90). In 19 seasons as a head coach at four-year programs he has compiled a career record of 274-111-33, coaching both men’s and women’s soccer programs.

Giuliano says of his hiring, “This is a dream job. In my brief time on campus for the interview I realized that Wheaton is a unique place. It is a unique combination of Christian commitment and academics. Plus, it is a place where you can win championships.”

Ladd says of Giuliano, “Mike has built successful programs at the institutions he has previously coached. His wealth of experience and success speaks for itself.” Ladd adds, “Mike is a great recruiter and a terrific communicator. We believe he is a perfect fit to build on the foundation of this program that has been established by Bob Baptista and Joe Bean."

Giuliano compiled a record of 25-27-11 in three seasons at San Diego State. In 2004, his debut season at San Diego State, the Aztecs played in championship matches for the regular season and conference tournament titles in the Mountain West Conference, posting an 8-7-6 overall record. His 2005 Aztec team posted a record of 11-9-2, improving 50 places in the NCAA power rankings. The Aztecs’ 2005 recruiting class was ranked 19th in Division I, the first national ranking for a recruiting class in the history of the program. Giuliano’s 2006 team posted a record of 6-11-2, highlighted by a 4-0 victory at then 21st-ranked Purdue in the second match of the season. San Diego State’s 2006 recruiting class was ranked 26th in Division I. In 2006 the women’s soccer program was first among SDSU’s 17 athletic programs in the number of student-athletes that earned scholar-athlete accolades.

In 11 seasons at Westmont Giuliano compiled a record of 195-42-15. He guided the Warriors to four NAIA women’s soccer National Championships, including three straight titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Westmont’s first National Title under Giuliano came in 1999. Westmont appeared in the NAIA Tournament in nine of his 11 seasons at the helm of the program. Giuliano was recognized four times in his tenure at Westmont (2003, 2002, 2001 and 1999) as the Adidas/National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) “NAIA Coach of the Year” and NAIA/Brine “National Coach of the Year”.

Giuliano posted a record of 55-42-8 in five seasons (1986-90) as the head men’s soccer coach at Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois. His 1990 squad had a record of 13-8-2, won the NIIC Conference Championship and earned the program’s first-ever NAIA playoff bid.

Giuliano earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Tennessee Temple University in 1981. In 1986 he achieved a Master’s Degree in Education from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and earned a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Northwestern University in 1993. Michael Giuliano and his wife Barbara have three children: Joshua, age 17; 13-year-old Justin; and 11-year-old Linnae.

Giuliano takes over a Wheaton program that finished second in the country during the 2006 season, falling 3-0 to Messiah College in the NCAA Division III National Championship Match. Wheaton posted a 16-8-4 record under longtime head coach Joe Bean. Bean retired in December after 38 seasons at the helm of the Thunder. Bean was preceded by Russ Enlow who coached men’s soccer at Wheaton in 1968. Bob Baptista served as head coach of the program from 1951-57 and returned to coach again from 1959 until 1967. Giuliano becomes just the fifth head coach in 56 years at Wheaton, a credit to the stability of 38 seasons for Bean and 16 seasons under the guidance of Baptista.

Giuliano mentions, “Coming to Wheaton will be a challenge. It is challenging to follow somebody like Joe Bean who is the winningest coach in collegiate men’s soccer history.” He concluded, “But I look forward to that challenge and to the opportunity to continue Wheaton’s strong soccer tradition.”