Tiger Soccer head coach, Andy Schulten ’87, recently achieved a KHSAA record with 550 career wins. This win came over rival Trinity in the first round of the Region 7 tournament. Coach Schulten has been at the helm of the program since 1998 and has undoubtedly led the Tigers to a dynasty. While win 550 was special, the journey there tells even more of the story for Schulten.
“When I came right out of college, I knew that I wanted to coach but back in those days, there just weren’t opportunities for soccer coaches,” Schulten said. “If you wanted to coach soccer, you could do it part-time for a club, but you’d have to be a teacher and then get a hold of a good high school team. And back in the 90s, we were good, but we weren’t the best.”
Like many coaches, Coach Schulten’s predecessor, Rick Blair ’66, was influential to him as Schulten described himself as “pretty young, and immature.” Blair eventually turned the program over to Coach Schulten, seeing his obvious potential.
“It took me a year or two to get my philosophy implemented, coinciding with the new century we have just skyrocketed and have been really good since then,” Schulten said.
Coach Schulten has not been alone during his career. When asked about two longtime assistant coaches, he noted the influential work of Ted Nichols and Nate Durbin.
“Ted came along at a time that was crucial because I didn’t have any coaches,” Schulten said. “I remember he called and said, ‘hey, I can coach goalies’. I said ‘good because the season starts in two days and I need you out there’. He made it every day and just his perspective and his loyalty has been phenomenal.”
“Nate [Durbin ’01], played for me; he was a captain back on those early 2000 teams, by the time he graduated, I think he kind of knew he wanted to be a teacher, so I had talked to him about maybe getting involved in coaching and coming back,” Coach Schulten said. “As important as Ted was, Nate was equally important in other ways, because anybody that knows Nate knows that he’s one of the best souls in the world, and I love that he kind of forged his path as an assistant coach. He just sees where my shortcomings are and what needs to be done and what’s keeping me from doing what I do well. He just assumes that responsibility, and he’s just been fantastic, and he’s an outstanding goalie coach, and he’s an even better person.”
Coach Schulten’s career can truly be defined as legendary, but that wasn’t always his intention at the beginning.
“I never thought I would reach this milestone, I was convinced I was going to be a college coach,” Schulten said. “I just couldn’t find a decent college job that did that, so I stuck with St. X and made a high level collegiate style program, and I just decided to take my goals as a coach for college and translate them to St. X with the formation and style that we play and it’s worked out well.”
Coach Schulten’s 550th career win came against arch-rival Trinity in the first round of the Region 7 tournament.
“I didn’t know that that was 550, I wasn’t informed until afterwards,” Schulten said. “To me it was just another game. I don’t remember a lot of the wins. I have my key wins that I do remember, but I do remember virtually all of the losses. We’re just trying to put the best team on the field that we can and hope for the best result and prepare as best we can to get the win.”
Coach Schulten has cemented himself as a legendary coach as the most winningest head coach in KHSAA history. He has transformed the soccer program into a historic dynasty at his beloved alma mater.
