Search for Yeagley successor opens

FIFA's World Cup is played every four years. \nEight World Cups have been played during Jerry Yeagley's tenure as coach of the IU men's soccer team. After this season, the Hoosiers will play soccer without the legendary coach in control.\nAs difficult of a job it will be to replace Yeagley and his five NCAA championships, 12 Big Ten tournament championships and 31 years of coaching excellence at IU, who better to fill the shoes of the teacher other than the student he respects the most.\nIU will not announce the the official hiring of a head coach until the conclusion of this season, but assistant coach Mike Freitag, who enters his 11th season as an assistant, is primed to pace the sidelines as Yeagley's successor. The decision will be made by Athletic Director Terry Clapacs, with whom Yeagley has already been in contact with.\n"I have mentored Mike for the last 10 years and he's virtually had experience at ever aspect," Yeagley said. "I feel he is the right person for the job and qualified in every way. I wouldn't leave if I didn't feel comfortable with my replacement."\nOnce a player under Yeagley, Freitag has compiled a mind-boggling 185-35-9 record since joining the staff in 1993 and was recognized by College News as one of the nation's top assistant coaches. \nFreitag was an All-American at IU from 1976-79 and returned as a graduate assistant from1983-89 only to return once more as a full time assistant coach under Yeagley. His qualifications speak for themselves as highly as his peers speak about him.\n"No one knows this program better than Coach Freitag as he has contributed more to this program as anyone," assistant coach Caleb Porter said. "No one knows more about this game and about the tradition of IU. There is no better candidate to back the standards of IU soccer."\nAfter 31 years, Yeagley has established these standards of tradition for IU soccer and now points to Freitag as the man he wants to grab the reins.\n"I feel privileged having coach Yeagley wanting me to take over the program that he built from scratch," Freitag said. "I don't have any doubt that I could handle the job since coach Yeagley is such a great teacher and I'm the star pupil."\nSince Freitag joined IU's staff, the Hoosiers have made six final-four appearances and won back-to-back national championships in 1998 and 1999. Instead of abandoning IU to pursue numerous head coaching offers, Freitag remained loyal to IU in hopes of one day accomplishing his goal.\n"A number of top universities have courted him," Yeagley said. "He has been loyal here waiting for this university. I have every reason to be quite sure that Michael will be the new coach." \nBeing named by one of the legends of college soccer to be the successor of their program can raise the hairs on anyone's arm.\n"One reason I came back to IU was with the intentions of taking over the program," Freitag said. "It is a privilege that coach Yeagley feels that I am the right person for the job." \nUnlike most soccer programs, Yeagley designated major responsibility to the assistant coaches creating a team atmosphere for the entire coaching staff. Another member of the staff is Porter, who enters his fourth season with the Hoosiers.\nPorter, like Freitag, played under the tutelage of Yeagley from 1994-97 and was the second three-time captain in IU history. Porter uses his recent experiences as a player for IU as a bridge of communication between himself and the players.\n"I feel I have a good relationship with my players because not too long ago I was in their shoes," Porter said. "I can take them on the sideline and talk to them about things that maybe coach Yeagley wouldn't talk about. I have a very open communication with the guys."\nAs much as the coaching staff functions as one team, Porter, Freitag and graduate assistant coach and son Todd Yeagley said they believe Yeagley is deserving of all the credit he receives for IU's success.\n"Even though each member of our staff plays important roles, coach Yeagley definitely deserves all the credit," Todd Yeagley said. "But if coach Yeagley likes to observe practices as he does, you need to have strong assistants."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Cohen at djcohen@indiana.edu.