Inductees

For the most storied sports programs across the country, there is one common thread beyond the wins and state championships.

In essence, walk off the bus and on to the field with the name of your school emblazoned on that jersey most times, it seems, they’ve won the game before the coin flip.

Which may be the best way to describe the Christian Brother College High School Soccer Program, whose winning tradition is the reason why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Cadets Soccer with the Class of 2018.

As assistant coach and mid-1960s CBC player Tim McEvoy said, “We have a trophy case as well as a storage room because we can’t get all the trophies in the case. We had to put them somewhere.”

Said Bill Baumhoff, who played from 1987 to 1990, “We tell all the younger kids in the program, ‘Every team circles the CBC game on their schedule. And it’s not just varsity.”

Entering this season, the Cadets had compiled 1,377 career victories dating to 1955 and have captured nine Missouri state championships, plus reached the state semifinals 19 other times.

The Bob Horgan-coached 1969 team won the state’s first postseason tournament, and the other state titles cover 1983, 1984, 1988, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2016.

The Michler era spans from 1971 to this season and includes 983 victories and eight state titles.

The Cadets 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).

Then again, what else to expect of a program whose roots date to the early 1900s and, in the modern-era, is emblematic of so successful programs whose name alone gains instant respect right off the bus?

“That’s true,” assistant coach Tim McEvoy, who played for CBC in the mid-1960s, said of CBC’s persona. “The big story will be the 1,000^th victory for coach Michler next year. It’s a huge milestone because it’s never been done at the high school level. And while it’s Terry’s program, it’s a reflection of the school.”

Before the advent of postseason tournaments through the Missouri State High School Activities Association, whoever won St. Louis’ district soccer championships were the unofficial state champs. CBC won 10 of them, and the 1960 team finished 30-0-0.

“There was an expectation that you were the best,” Michler said.

In the Michler era, 297 CBC players have advanced to play in college, with 33 reaching the pros, 20 earning high school All-American honors and eight playing on national teams.

Of course, a number of factors have made a difference.

For one, CBC dropped its ROTC requirement during the Vietnam, and that boosted numbers improved, likely leading to the 1978 playing in the program’s first Final Four.

Secondly, the Cadets play an attack-style, seeking out goals and strive for precision ball movement much like the Dutch national team Clockwork Orange that caught Michler’s eye in the mid-1970s.

“We don’t spend much time on defense. You win games by scoring,” said Michler, whose 1996 team outshot Blue Springs 33-3 in a playoff game but lost 1-0.

Among the most notable players are Carl Gentile, John Johnson, Don Droege and Daryl Doran, John Pisani and Bruce Hudson.

A Horgan-era standout, Gentile played three pro sports. Johnson won two state titles and played at Indiana and St. Louis University. Droege played in the North American Soccer League in the 1970s and Doran was an All-Star for a St. Louis indoor pro team and later coached it. Pisani is CBC’s all-time leading scorer. Hudson captained the first state championship team.

Dedicated assistant coaches such as Bill Belcher, Jim Mueller, Tom Farishon, Glenn Zipfel, Baumhoff and Mike England played major roles.

“(Belcher) was a mathematician and loved numbers and details. He kept game stats, and stats tell stories, if they’re done properly,” Michler said.

Mueller led the sophomore and freshmen teams for years.

“He felt it was a success anytime I took a player off his team,” Michler said.

With Farishon, “It was really great to have another set of eyes. He could analyze and pinpoint your problems and find a solution.”

Zipfel was a longtime assistant on varsity, Baumhoff has coached the freshman the past 11 years and England handle those duties before.

“To me,” McEvoy said, “in the soccer community in the St. Louis area, and especially at CBC, the camaraderie that has been built up just lasts forever. Brothers for life.”