Hail to the Champions!

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor jet lag could stop the 2003 IU men's soccer team. No one could stop the players on the field either -- the Hoosiers are National Champions, finishing an improbable run with a 2-1 victory over the St. John's Red Storm.\nThe Hoosiers' most interesting battle of the championship game was the one they fought against the white storm, though. In the latter stages of the second half, the snowfall that had fallen into Columbus Crew Stadium in the form of flurries throughout the course of the game upgraded into a full-fledged whiteout.\nThe snow, combined with a St. John's goal in the 78th minute, added a degree of tension that made it impossible to divert your attention from the game as it drew closer to expiring. Would the bad traction cause an IU defender to slip just at the wrong time? Might a snowflake temporarily blind goalkeeper Jay Nolly as he attempted to make a save?\nAny worries were erased when Nolly cradled the ball in his hands after St. John's mounted its last scoring attempt with less than 10 seconds remaining. Jerry Yeagley was going out on top in an ending that seemed like it was penned by the best hacks in Hollywood.\nI mean, come on, who else would be able to come up with a scenario in which forward Ned Grabavoy and defender Drew Moor could be in the United Arab Emirates during Friday's semifinal game and still be able to show up for Sunday's final? And for Grabavoy to score the opening goal of the game? Now we're clearly treading in the realm of Disney.\nNext year, IU's jerseys will hold six stars for each of its national titles. Yeagley will need to use both hands if he wants to wear all of his championship rings at the same time, although he'll be doing it in the relaxed land of retirement.\nHe is almost universally regarded as the greatest coach in the history of collegiate soccer, and indeed his record 544 wins are evidence of this. Yeagley should also be recognized as the finest coach in the history of any sport at IU. The competition that he is going up with is none too shabby -- it includes Bob Knight, Branch McCracken and former swimming coach Doc Counsilman (another winner of six national titles).\nBut none of them did what Yeagley did. In every way, he is the father of the program. It has known no other coach since its inception as a varsity sport. When he began, American soccer was a sport with a cult following at best. Now, people come to IU so they can play for him.\nIn 31 years, Yeagley has led 16 teams to the College Cup. Visiting the Final Four at a rate better than every other year is a remarkable feat. And winning a championship at a rate of once every five years is pretty darn good. \nTo say that Yeagley is the finest coach in IU history is an understatement still. He is one of the best leaders of men in the history of collegiate sports. Wooden. Rockne. Yeagley. They're all in the same echelon.\nIU has a strong enough foundation in place that it will be able to win -- and win often -- after Yeagley is gone (there were only two seniors in the starting lineup). But if IU is ever able to produce another coach in any sport that is as successful as Yeagley -- that would be an impressive feat indeed.