Doug Everhart
Doug Everhart has tirelessly given of his time and talents to various clubs, the NWOYSL, and OYSAN over the past twenty years. He has coached for several clubs within NWOYSL including the Celtics and Perrysburg clubs, and currently coaches within the Maumee Express Club. During Doug’s fifteen years with the Maumee Express organization, he has rotated in and out of the President, Vice President, and Advisor roles, and currently holds the President and Vice President roles. Doug currently coaches two Maumee Express youth teams, and will coach an additional two junior teams in the spring. The Maumee Express Recreational League, developed with the help of Doug’s insight and talent, continues to thrive because of his leadership and desire to teach the youth the game of soccer. All of Doug’s involvement, from board positions to coaching, has been voluntary.
Doug is also the Maumee High School (Ohio) JV Women’s Coach. He has been coaching at Maumee High for approximately six years. Doug takes his coaching well beyond the field. He meets with the players’ teachers to ensure the players’ academics come first. If players need help in certain subject areas, Doug has tutored and/or arranged for tutors for his players. Doug’s players must take their academics seriously before they can step foot onto the soccer field.
Three years ago, the City of Maumee, OH was looking to convert a portion of its soccer fields to football fields and a public swimming facility. Doug successfully led a committee who worked on a solution whereby all of the soccer fields were preserved, a swimming pool was constructed, and the recommendation of a feasible youth football facility. All facilities are fully operational not only because of Doug’s desire to preserve the soccer fields, but because of his willingness to work toward, what turned out to be, the best solution for the community of Maumee, OH.
Doug Everhart served as the OYSAN Treasurer from 1997 through 1998. He served on the NWOYSL Board, in one capacity or another, for seventeen years. Doug has rotated in and out of the roles of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Advisor. Advisor is Doug’s current position with NWOYSL. Though we are uncertain of the dates or total number of years, Doug has served on the Northwest Ohio Referee Association Board. Certified Official is another of Doug’s talents, though it has taken a back seat in the last several years, mostly because of Doug’s busy coaching schedule.
The Northwest Ohio Festival Soccer Tournament, having just completed its 26th event, was chaired by Doug for 16 of those years. Having relinquished the Chairperson role for the 2006 Festival Tournament, Doug continued to play a huge role in this year’s event by serving in an Advisory role and heading up one of the three tournament locations.
From the Northwest Ohio Festival Tournament, money is raised to provide for the Robert Kumpe College Scholarship Fund Serving as Chairperson of the Kumpe Scholarship Committee, since it’s inception over eight years ago, Doug has helped to award numerous League players with over $60,000 in scholarship dollars.
Doug was instrumental in bringing the Snicker’s Regional II Soccer Tournament to Northwest Ohio in 2002. Doug was one of the two key players who led the organization of all of the Tournament events including the Opening Ceremonies, all league details, volunteers, site preparations, sponsorship, etc. Doug worked tirelessly to ensure the Tournament was a success, not only for the thousands of players, coaches and fans, but also for the entire community. Doug’s unwavering volunteer efforts brought together a fabulous tournament.
Just as Doug goes beyond the soccer field and into the classroom, Doug also has a true connection with each one of his players. Doug provides small Christmas gifts to his youth players, all paid entirely by him. He takes his players to Cedar Point, and pays their way. Doug has the ability to joke with his young players, yet exhibits toughness to get the job done. Doug’s players respect him for his knowledge of soccer, his coaching style, and yes, even for his unprecedented attire.
Speaking of Doug’s unprecedented attire, Doug is not afraid to be himself. On most occasions, you will find Doug on the soccer field wearing tye-dye shirts and sandals, even when there is snow on the ground. If Doug is not in tye-dye, he can be found in mismatched shirt and shorts, thriving on how many people will make mention of who dressed him that day! Doug is his own person, but one that is respected by all he has coached and mentored!
Stu Parry
The Father of UA Soccer
In 1954 Stu Parry transferred to The University of Akron from Oberlin College, where he had played soccer. He found that his new school didn’t have a soccer team and he set out to do something about that omission. That was nothing new since at the time only six Ohio colleges had soccer teams.
His brother George, also a UA student, introduced Stu to the schools’ athletic director, Kenneth “Red” Cochrane, who was receptive to Stu’s idea. A year later, through Parry’s insistence, enthusiasm and extreme devotion to the sport, soccer became the eleventh intercollegiate sport on campus.
Cochrane told Parry to prove to him that there was enough interest in soccer among the students. Parry put out a call for other interested players looking to form a club team. Twenty students, including brother, George, answered that call. After two weeks of practice the team, with player-coach Stu, began play and compiled a 2-0-1 record.
In 1958 Parry helped form the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association with Akron, Case Tech, Denison, Fenn (now Cleveland State), Kenyon, Oberlin, Ohio State, Ohio Wesleyan and Western Reserve (now Case-Western Reserve) as members.
With Stu Parry at the helm, the Zip Booters captured the first four OCSA titles (1958-61) and a total of nine (1963-64, 1966-68) during his 15-year coaching career. He consistently played the top teams in the country and as a result six of his teams (1961, ’63, ’64, ’66, ’67 & ’68) earned berths in the post-season NCAA Soccer Tournament. Arguably one of his top wins came against the defending national champions, St. Louis, 3-2, in the Rubber Bowl in 1961. And not too many coaches in any sport can say they were 10-2 against Ohio State during their career. Parry can!
Parry’s 1968 team went 11-0 during the regular season before being stopped by Michigan State, 1-0, in the NCAA Midwest Playoffs. The Spartans would eventually be declared national co-champions with St. Louis when the championship game was halted because of a serious injury to one of the Spartan players.
During Parry’s tenure he developed 44 first team All-Ohio players, 15 first team All-Midwest selections and 10 players earned All-America honors 13 times. Twice, 1966 and 1968, Parry’s fellow coaches voted him Ohio Coach of the Year. Parry and three-time All-American Fritz Kungl (1958, ’60 & ’62) were charter member inductees of UA’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1975. Twelve more of his players have since been inducted into that Hall of Fame.
Long active in the National Soccer Coaches Association, Parry served as the organizations president in 1968 and was a member of the NCAA Rules Committee for six years.
During his 15-year coaching career, Stu Parry’s teams helped him compile a record of 118 wins, 43 losses and four ties. Parry, who retired after the 1969 season, had only two losing seasons- 1955 and 1965.
It was Stu Parry who set the high standard and the winning tradition for UA soccer that continues to the present day. Yet, he earned higher praise as a gentleman and a class act. Just ask the players who played for him, the assistant coaches who worked with him and the opposing coaches and players who faced him.
Earl V. Patterson
Earl was one of the founding fathers of soccer in Northern Ohio and his impact was huge. When the ethnic clubs decided to form a youth soccer association to elicit a broader participation of kids in soccer in Northern Ohio, Broadview Hts. was one of the first communities to participate. Earl Patterson was on the original board of directors who undertook this massive project. He contributed his vision and steady guidance as community programs were established within a league network. The infrastructure of Constitutions and By-laws needed to be written to give substance and authority to this new association. Earl served in many capacities in these formative years. As the treasurer in the Ohio Amateur Soccer League, his name is on the charter of the Ohio Youth Soccer Association. Among other things, Earl helped write the OASL Handbook, the OASL League Constitution, the OASL By-Laws and the Handbook for Referees. He did the same for the South Hills Soccer League and the Broadview Hts. Soccer Organization. He was an active participant in the Lake Erie Soccer League who, like the other pioneers, took time from his personal and family life to devout to seemingly endless meetings and work sessions on behalf of youth soccer.
While assisting with the establishment of the overall league, Earl was also quite active within the Broadview Hts. community, which served as one of the models for other communities. Broadview Hts. was the first community team to enter teams at many age levels within the Lake Erie League while also encouraging the establishment of the community programs.
There was active resistance to the formation of these soccer leagues by parents and administrators of other youth sports. It was always Earl’s belief that opportunities in many sports and activities should be provided fairly and generously by each community so as to maximize the athletic potential and interests of all kids. He served both the Broadview Hts. Soccer Association and also the Broadview Hts. Recreation Board for over 12 years. He was the Recreation Director of Broadview Hts. for 5 years. Earl was given citations by Mayor Falhauber for such service and was recognized by Mayor Bender for his service on the 1994 Charter Review Commission. The Broadview Hts. Baseball Program gave him a commendation for his role as coach for teams and the Broadview Hts. All Stars.
In 2000, Earl was awarded the Melvin Jones Fellowship commendation by the Lions Club International for his years of involvement in many worthwhile causes. This is the highest award in the Lions Club and represents those attributes characteristic of individuals who are dedicated to humanitarian service. Many of the things Earl did went under the radar screen. Earl was shunned focus on his involvements while pushing credit to others.
Franz Schönberger
He was born in Apatin, Batschka, to German parents in the former Hungary of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. Already as a youngster at age 12 his interest was in youth field handball and Soccer.
After the war he ended up in Vienna where he met Irma Lenner. They married in 1949 and have two daughters Elfriede and Christine and a son Walter. Today he makes his home in Strongsville, Ohio with his wife.
Once here in Cleveland, he began his working career at the National Tool Company where he worked for 22 years. Today he makes his home in Strongsville, Ohio.
Franz began his involvement in youth soccer in 1962 and is one of the “original five charter members” of the first youth soccer league in the State of Ohio, the “Lake Erie Junior Soccer League”. He became the league’s first president from 1965-1969. As such he was able to promote soccer among our communities such as Mentor on the Lake, Broadview Heights, North Royalton, Chagrin Falls, North Olmsted, and other communities. He became instrumental in bringing soccer to the local high schools, such as John Marshall and West Tech.
Franz became involved in coaching youth soccer players and managing soccer teams in 1963 with the Donauschwaben Soccer Club better known today as Concordia Soccer Club and was the coach of the first league champion in 1965. From 1963 to 1976 he was a vital supporter of youth soccer and an enthusiastic administrator. His foresight to bring soccer to our communities and schools, working with the Senior State Association, to promote regional tournaments, is well known. Franz was the first coach to take a team to a regional tournament in Rochester Pa., for those who do not know during those years we were part of the eastern region until the USF’s reorganization in 1974. He was the man who laid most of the foundations during the formative years, leading to the formation of the OYSAN. He was one of the men who helped “Jump Start” youth soccer in northern Ohio. It was a difficult job belief me Franz knows all about it.
Franz became the president of the Concordia Club in 1970, a position he held for 4 years. During his time he became not only a promoter of soccer within the Danube Swabian organization, but continued to impact the local soccer scenes with valuable contributions. He assisted in many ways to bring, Dettmar Cramer, to Cleveland in 1969, the great personality and philosopher of soccer then the FIFA coach to run a player clinic for our youth programs in the area, who also held the first licensing program at Walsh academy in 1972.
In 1974 he became the sole founder and organizer of the National Danube Swabian Soccer Tournament which was named after him after his retirement as the chairman in 1998. He was also the organizer of the local Turners Indoor Soccer Tournament which became very popular during the 70’s and had the idea of running the first juggling contest in the area. Franz also coached the “Danube Bomber” the first youth indoor soccer championship team of the greater Cleveland indoor youth soccer tournament at the Collinwood High School in 1965.
To round things out Franz organized the popular Donauschwaben-Concordia Indoor Soccer Tournament in 1985 in which more then 100 youth teams participate every year. Franz is still the chairperson of the indoor board. His services to youth and senior soccer in the local soccer leagues, as well as the Donauschwaben Organization, will always be appreciated by the many whose lives he touched.
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