Home | Men's Soccer | 0116
Men's Soccer
1/16/2008 - Tsohantaridis to Return for Second Stint as George Fox Men’s Soccer Coach
NEWBERG, Ore. – Timotheos (Tim) Tsohantaridis, who coached the George Fox University men’s soccer team from 1986 to 1989 and led the Bruins to a National Christian College Athletic Association national title in 1988, will return for a second stint as the Bruins’ coach.
Tsohantaridis, who is a professor of Biblical studies at George Fox, will continue in that capacity while serving as the Bruins’ coach once again.
In making the announcement of the hiring of Tsohantaridis, George Fox director of athletics Craig Taylor said, “I am very excited that Tim will have the opportunity to shape and lead the next era of Bruin soccer. His soccer coaching background is obviously outstanding. He is also highly respected as a classroom teacher.” Tsohantaridis was named the George Fox Undergraduate Professor of the Year, an award voted on by the student body, in 1995.
Tsohantaridis will be taking over for the man who replaced him, Manfred Tschan, who announced his retirement after 19 seasons as the George Fox head coach to go into private business with Newberg-based Action Equipment Company.
Tsohantaridis first came to George Fox in 1985 as an assistant coach for the men’s team under Paul Berry, then stepped in as head coach the following season. In his four years as head coach (1986-89), he led the Bruins to four NCCAA Region 8 appearances, region titles in 1986, 1987, and 1988, and to three national tournaments. After going 2-1 in the NCCAA nationals in both 1986 and 1987, the 1988 team defeated LeTourneau, Cedarville, and Bartlesville Wesleyan 3-1 in the championship game. He was selected as the 1988 NCCAA National Coach of the Year. In 1989, he and Tschan shared head coaching duties. His overall record in four seasons was 50-23-4 (.675).
An ordained minister in the Greek Evangelical Church, Tsohantaridis left the university and moved to Massachusetts in 1990 to pastor the largest GEC congregation in the United States. Upon his return to George Fox in 1993, he was the men’s assistant coach again for four seasons, and the women’s assistant coach for three.
A Greek-born U.S. citizen, Tsohantaridis played and coached at Barrington College in Rhode Island, where he was 6-6 in his only season in 1979. He has coached both men’s and women’s teams at the high school level, with an 11-year record of 109-57-8, and has a club team coaching record of 25-7-2. His cumulative coaching record is 190-93-14 (.663). He also played for three East Coast soccer clubs and the U.S. select team.
In taking the George Fox position, Tsohantaridis said that “last year was the first time I was not involved in coaching soccer in some capacity, but my passion for the game never left me. I wanted to get back into coaching, which I see as a ministry, but I also wanted to continue teaching at George Fox. God has opened up a door for me to fulfill both of my passions.”
The Bruins are coming off an injury-filled 3-13-3 season, but with only three seniors graduating, 19 returning letterwinners, and new soccer facilities under construction, the future appears bright for the program and its new coach.
“There is usually some sense of excitement when a new coach comes in,” said Tsohantaridis, “and I want to inject that fresh enthusiasm, fresh hope, into the team. When you look at the body of work that Coach Tschan did over his 19 years as head coach, it is pretty impressive, and I hope to continue his hard work. We want to see the players excited, the fans excited, the whole community excited, and will work harder than ever to make that happen.”
Tsohantaridis is already working the recruiting trail as former coach Tschan, who will continue his teaching duties at George Fox through the academic year, begins to direct prospective recruits his way.
“We have a solid nucleus returning next fall,” notes the new coach, “but we hope to add some new blood at each position who will push the current players to improve.”
Tsohantaridis has a bachelor’s degree from Barrington (1977), a master’s degree from Ashland Theological Seminary (1985), and a Ph.D. from the University of Athens (2002). From 1986-1990, he served as the George Fox chaplain. He and his wife Valerie have two sons, Demetrius and Thaddeus.