Hall of Fame
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Fred Schmalz retired as Evansville men’s soccer coach with an overall collegiate career record of 403-196-56 in 33 seasons and a 24-year mark of 302-165-49 with the Purple Aces.
He ranked third in victories among the nation’s active Division I coaches at the time of his retirement.
He also stood fifth in all-time Division I wins at the time of his retirement.
He led UE to 11 NCAA Soccer Tournament appearances, including Division I Final Fours in 1985 and 1990. In all, Schmalz coached 13 All-Americans and 17 Academic All-Americans.
The 1985 National Coach of the Year by Soccer America, he mentored 31 players who went on to play professionally, including Rob Paterson -- the 1989 Adi Dassler National Player of the Year -- and David Weir -- the first American collegiate player to compete for a European team (Scotland) in the World Cup.
Schmalz guided Davis & Elkins College (West Virginia) to a 91-21-5 record and six trips to the NAIA Final Four before coming to Evansville in 1979.
The recipient of the first Ron Wigg Award -- the highest honor presented by the Olympic Development Program -- and
the Bill Jeffrey Award -- the highest honor presented by the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America -- Schmalz was selected as a charter member of the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame.
Schmalz was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame in October of 2009, marking his fifth Hall of Fame induction -- Davis & Elkins University, Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame, Quincy University and the University of Evansville.
The first person to coach gold medal-winning soccer teams from separate regions in the U.S. Olympic Sports Festival (West in 1990 and North in 1991), he has served as the director at the Goebel Soccer Park in Evansville and currently coaches club soccer.