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С��Ƭ��Ƶ Men’s Soccer Alumni Reunion Recap

С��Ƭ��Ƶ men’s soccer alumni (1963 to 1980) held a reunion on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Stow, Ohio, attended by 39 former С��Ƭ��Ƶ men’s soccer players and coaches, 20 spouses and significant others, who all came from across the United States, and were joined by five С��Ƭ��Ƶ Athletics staff.

Organized by former player Fred Jermyn, BS ’74, San Diego, it was the first full-scale reunion of С��Ƭ��Ƶ men’s soccer alumni since the program began 70 years ago. It originated in 1949 as a Club team by Fred Davidson, PhD, a psychology professor who had played the game in high school and amateur ranks and wanted to introduce the sport to KSU. The soccer program came to a halt after the 1950 season when Dr. Davidson was called into the US military for the Korean War. It was relaunched in 1963 by Rudy Bachna (who also founded the С��Ƭ��Ƶ gymnastics program in 1959, serving as head coach of gymnastics until his retirement in 1991). Varsity status was achieved for С��Ƭ��Ƶ men’s soccer in 1965 and continued through the program’s final season in 1980.

Bachna was honored by the С��Ƭ��Ƶ men’s soccer alumni with a trophy for Most Head Coach Wins and a plaque recognizing his legacy, which will be installed in the С��Ƭ��Ƶ Field House.

Awards also were presented to Zoltan Balogh, BArch ’69, Richfield, Ohio; Nick DiGrino, BS ’71, Macomb, Ill.; Bob Clouse, BSE ’76, Columbus, Ohio; and Jeff Johnson, BS ’77, Houston—as goalkeepers who are now listed in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Division I Record Book, 40-plus years after their feats occurred.

Gary Gough, BS ’92, Hudson, Ohio, a player from 1972-75, says, “It took one fantastic banquet organizer, a lot of traveling for most and 39-70 years to attend the greatest С��Ƭ��Ƶ banquet in history.”

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