Inductees

He laughs about it now, but there was a time when Terry Michler said no to his dream job as the head soccer coach at his alma mater, Christian Brothers College High School.

That was in February 1969 and he had just signed a contract with a pro soccer team, the Kansas City Spurs of the North American Soccer League. Then, a year later, the team folded.

And the phone rang again, with an offer to come home.

“I said, ‘I’ll be there yesterday,’” Michler recalled. “I was very, very fortunate.”

And thus began a 50-year run – yes, he’s still going strong – coaching high school soccer, including 48 for the CBC Cadets, and his incredible success is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Michler with the Class of 2018.

Once called “The Godfather of High School Soccer in the Nation,” Michler entered the 2018 season with a remarkable record of 965-227-104 – with the win total the most in the nation, according to the National Federation of High School Associations.

His teams have won eight of CBC’s nine state championships, and he has earned four National Coach of the Year awards along with three Midwest Regional Coach of the Year awards.

The state championships played out in 1983, 1984, 1988, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2016. His teams also have placed as the state runner-up six times (1980, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1996, 1997) and earned five third-place finishes (1978, 1979, 1998, 2000, 2017).

“It was the only thing I ever wanted to do,” Michler said. ‘From the time I left CBC, I knew I never could think of doing anything else, to be honest.”

Michler played for CBC in the mid-1960s under coach Bob Horgan and, while he played other sports, he always felt right at home on the pitch.

“Soccer was always No. 1,” Michler said. “I had an uncle (Bob Fitzgerald) who was a local player and he got me interested in the game. He was a coach and referee, too – just someone really loyal to the game in a lot of ways.”

Michler enjoyed a 25-win season his first year, but the next two weren’t as successful, leading him to wonder if he’d keep his job.

It was around that time that Michler became a big fan of the Netherlands national soccer team, known globally as Clockwork Orange. Because ESPN wasn’t yet around, the coach subscribed to World Soccer Magazine, which carried stories about the Dutch team.

“Their play was such precision, their works so off the charts,” Michler said. “That really, really piqued my interest.”

Then, in 1978 and 1979, CBC advanced to the Final Four, to the finals in 1980 and 1981 and continued its success over the four decades. One of the most dominate stretches was from 1993 to 2005, when his teams were 319-46-37, including 11 seasons of at least 21 wins.

Like any successful coach, Michler fundamentals never changed but he annually adjusted his coaching to fit the roster.

“That’s one thing you learn as you coach in this game – how does your plan work with this group?” Michler said. “You have to be a little bit flexible. You have your reputation and (strategy) but you’ve got to get a buy-in. It’s as simple as that.”

Among his favorite stories was the 1983 state championship team, simply because it proved him wrong.

“In the spring, I was asked by my assistant, ‘What do we’ve got to do to get to .500?’” Michler said, with a laugh. The team went 23-1.

But that was the challenge every year. The fun challenge.

After all, Michler would take a group of young men every year and mold them into a competitive team, teaching them the valuable lessons about soccer and, ultimately, about life. In fact, he’s been known to dust off practice notes from decades ago and apply them.

“Even when I had some disappointing times, I look at every day this way – I want to get something out of today. I want to make them better,” Michler said. “That’s what motivates me.”

Michler, who coached two seasons at Bishop Hogan High School in Kansas City, is an inductee of the St. Louis Soccer, Missouri Soccer Coaches, Rockhurst University and CBC Athletics halls of fame.

He also is dad to Marc and Tim and three grandchildren.

“It’s just a great sport,” Michler said. “And at CBC, it’s been the perfect fit for me. I’ve had great support through the years.”