As President Kelly has recently remarked, communicating with our whole community about the outstanding men’s soccer team this year: “They play with tremendous courage, cohesion, and creativity, and they are truly an inspiration to all of Pilot Nation. I hope you will join me in congratulating the student-athletes and coaches.” Yes. The heritage of soccer play at UP stretches back into the middle of the last century.
The origins of the UP Men’s Soccer program are rooted in 1961, when Fr. Waldschmidt (then Vice President) brought international students together to help them better integrate and assimilate with the campus community through club soccer. A winning effort, with the team bringing home champion-status, excelling in league play.
Here, now — celebrating men’s soccer RIGHT NOW — is a little more of the origin-story. International in origin and sharing the common cause of bringing people together. Then as now, with today’s players too hailing from all parts: Sweden, Denmark, Texas, Hawaii, Canada, Georgia — including even California, Washington, and Oregon without discrimination.
Explore our origin story from Archives & Artifacts on PortLog: https://sites.up.edu/museum/international-soccer-1961/
For more information contact Carolyn Connolly, Museum Coordinator, museum@up.edu