Mick Lyon, who coached Indiana women’s soccer for 11 seasons, died Sunday morning. He was 61.
During his time at Indiana, Mick recruited Orianica Velasquez from Columbia. Velasquez became the first Indiana women’s soccer player to compete in the World Cup in 2011 and the Olympics in 2012. He also mentored five First Team All-Big Ten players and two National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Region players.
The Lincolnshire, England, native led Indiana to multiple successful seasons, including what was then the program’s best season in 2007 where they went 13-7-1 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. In 2009, the Hoosiers set a then-school record by reeling off six straight wins to open the season, including a 2-1 win over No. 6 University of Florida — the highest ranked opponent the Hoosiers have ever defeated.
After he completed his second season with Indiana in 2004, Lyon was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Lyon’s wife, Elizabeth, was also battling the same disease — a rare coincidence as the disease only affects three in 1,000 people in the United States.
For Mick, a former standout player on the men’s team and Hall of Fame coach of the women’s team at the University of Evansville for 15 years, the news of his disease was especially devastating. On the surface, he didn’t tell anyone –– his close friends, fellow coaches nor players –– but on the inside, he and his wife shared their struggles together. Mick detailed his experience battling the disease to ESPN reporter Graham Hays in September 2010.
As the disease slowly progressed over time, Mick was forced to retire in 2012 as his body slowly started to shut down.
Although he hid the disease from his friends back home, he announced what he was battling after he retired. When his friends in Evansville learned of his declining condition, they started a GoFundMe to support him.