Cleveland soccer coach recognized as National Coach of the Year (02/12/06)

Cleveland soccer coach recognized as National Coach of the Year

by Lev Holubec

PHILADELPHIA - Mike McLaughlin of Cleveland's Ukrainian American Sport Club Lviv was recognized on Friday, January 20, as the National Coach of the Year for Private/Parochial High School Boys at the 59th NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Banquet in Philadelphia.

He follows in the footsteps of coaching legend Gene Chyzowych of the Ukrainian Sports Federation of the U.S.A. and Canada (USCAK) who was named National Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1990.

Mr. McLaughlin, 38, guided the St. Ignatius High School team to a perfect 23-0-0 record on its way to a second straight Ohio state title. It marked just the third time in state history a team went undefeated, and it was the second such instance of a team winning back-to-back state crowns. Mr. McLaughlin has a career record of 174-29-26.

St. Ignatius High School is an all boys Jesuit Preparatory School that has helped to educate over 100 Ukrainian children, spanning each of the Ukrainian emigrations throughout its 120-year history. The school, with a mission of forming "men for others," is known for its academic excellence demonstrated, for example, by consistent recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. This year's class boasts 25 National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists, the most of any Ohio high school and among the highest in the country.

Mr. McLaughlin's 2005 soccer team, living up to and above the school's high standards, achieved All-Academic status - recognition reserved for high school athletic programs that excel on the field and carry an average team GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Mr. McLaughlin, well-known among current and future (those in training at St. Josaphat Elementary) Ukrainian students at St. Ignatius, came upon the Ukrainian American community no sooner than 1981, when he followed Andrew Futey as only the second freshman to make the varsity soccer squad at St. Ignatius.

In his four years, Mr. McLaughlin teamed with a number of Ukrainians including Mr. Futey, John Tymkiw, Mike Danylo and Lev Holubec, among others. Upon graduating in 1985 he pursued a degree in theology and bettered his soccer career at Quincy College. He later earned his master's in theology from John Carroll University.

It was in the mid-1990s that Mr. McLaughlin was swept back into the local Ukrainian community - with no turning back. He began dating Motria Oryshkewych, a Holy Name High School coach and John Carroll University soccer player. Always thinking about the success of the local Ukrainian soccer club, President Taras "Guga" Oryshkewych cut a deal that that "allowed" Mr. McLaughlin to date his sister Motria - but only if he agreed to join UASC Lviv and lead the soccer team.

In March 1999, on a "Ukrainians from America" soccer trip to Paris to support the Ukrainian National Team in World Cup qualification against France (See The Ukrainian Weekly article "Springtime in Paris," April 1999), Mike and Motria were engaged atop the Eiffel Tower. They married in May 2000.

Mr. McLaughlin was a key representative of the U.S.-Ukrainian Soccer Selects at the U.S. vs. Europe Ukrainian soccer challenge during the 1999 Paris trip. He is most easily recognized among the UASC Lviv players and USCAK challengers for his subtle flair on the soccer field during the annual Great Lakes Cup tournaments and helped lead the Cleveland club to win the Over 30 Great Lakes Cup in 2001.

Mr. McLaughlin is the sophomore service director at the high school. The program gives each second-year student an experience in serving the less privileged members of the local community. He began his St. Ignatius career 14 years ago, teaching theology to students of all four years. Twelve years ago he took the reins of the soccer program, as only the second head soccer coach in the school's history.

Prior to his current role, he was the director of the Arrupe Neighborhood Partnership program which the Society of Jesus has recognized as a Model Project Building Just Communities in the United States.

Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin and their two sons Matthew, 3, and Patrick, 6 months, are parishioners of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Parma, Ohio.

A dedicated husband, father, teacher and soccer coach, Mr. McLaughlin is a role model and an inspiration to the high-achieving children of the Ukrainian community. We are all proud of his success on the soccer field, but even more so of the example that he provides the current St. Ignatius students including the Dobrianskys, the Fedynskys, the Holowatys, the Kleks, the Rabosyuks, who look up to Mr. McLaughlin as their teacher, or to the countless others who look forward to their future sophomore experience with "our" Mr. McLaughlin.

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