2008 Woodie Awards
Getting his fair due
Trask earns extension, promises lasting commitment
Andrew Smothers
Issue date: 8/4/08 Section: Sports
Media Credit: Flame Archive PhotoFollowing three years of relentless success UIC head soccer coach John Trask received a three-year contract extension from Athletic Director Jim Schmidt on July 29.
After three years of unprecedented success, UIC head soccer coach John Trask received a four-year contract extension through 2011 on July 29.
Trask has taken a fifth-place Horizon League program to its first Elite Eight appearance in 2007. In Trask's brief reign, the Flames have won the Horizon League regular season title, the HL championship tournament, received an at-large birth and automatic birth to the Big Dance, and has seen its national prestige soar.
Teams that would never dare venture to campus three years ago for a Little Italy dinner, let alone a soccer game, have been put on the schedule the past three years, and attendance has skyrocketed.
And with such outstanding immediate impact at a mid-major school, fan's minds usually tend to wander to the biggest question in the back of everyone's mind. But Trask says he's staying.
"Many people thought that my time at UIC would be brief," said Trask, "but we've only just begun to realize the potential of this great University. With the continued support of the UIC athletic department, my staff and I believe that many more great things lie ahead for this program."
The UIC men's soccer program has thrived under Trask's direction the past three seasons. UIC continued its rise to national prominence under Trask in 2007, as the Flames won the Horizon League Championship and went on to advance past three straight nationally ranked foes en route to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in school history. UIC earned a pair of Top 10 end-of-season national rankings.
That was preceded by a tremendous 2006 campaign in which the Flames won the 2006 Horizon League regular-season title, reached as high as No. 6 in national polls, registered the nation's top-ranked defense and rounded out the year with an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament that featured a Round of 32 finish.
Trask, who is 36-14-13 in his three years at UIC, was awarded 2006 Horizon League Coach of the Year honors for the Flames' fantastic season.
UIC turned in the nation's sixth-best turnaround during Trask's inaugural campaign as head coach in 2005, going 10-5-2 after the Flames posted just five victories the season before he was hired.
|
Trask has taken a fifth-place Horizon League program to its first Elite Eight appearance in 2007. In Trask's brief reign, the Flames have won the Horizon League regular season title, the HL championship tournament, received an at-large birth and automatic birth to the Big Dance, and has seen its national prestige soar.
Teams that would never dare venture to campus three years ago for a Little Italy dinner, let alone a soccer game, have been put on the schedule the past three years, and attendance has skyrocketed.
And with such outstanding immediate impact at a mid-major school, fan's minds usually tend to wander to the biggest question in the back of everyone's mind. But Trask says he's staying.
"Many people thought that my time at UIC would be brief," said Trask, "but we've only just begun to realize the potential of this great University. With the continued support of the UIC athletic department, my staff and I believe that many more great things lie ahead for this program."
The UIC men's soccer program has thrived under Trask's direction the past three seasons. UIC continued its rise to national prominence under Trask in 2007, as the Flames won the Horizon League Championship and went on to advance past three straight nationally ranked foes en route to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in school history. UIC earned a pair of Top 10 end-of-season national rankings.
That was preceded by a tremendous 2006 campaign in which the Flames won the 2006 Horizon League regular-season title, reached as high as No. 6 in national polls, registered the nation's top-ranked defense and rounded out the year with an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament that featured a Round of 32 finish.
Trask, who is 36-14-13 in his three years at UIC, was awarded 2006 Horizon League Coach of the Year honors for the Flames' fantastic season.
UIC turned in the nation's sixth-best turnaround during Trask's inaugural campaign as head coach in 2005, going 10-5-2 after the Flames posted just five victories the season before he was hired.
Be the first to comment on this story