According to the Nittany Lions' all-time winningest coach,"..there is no question that Penn State has been at or near the top of the ladder on the national scene since the beginning." This quote comes from Penn State's winningest coach, Walter Bahr, the coach of the men's soccer team from 1974-1987.

Over the past ninety seasons, the Penn State men's soccer program has enjoyed continued success with a variety of coaches. The first coach to make an impact at Penn State was a native of Scotland named Bill Jeffrey. Jeffrey's accomplishments include a remarkable unbeaten streak of 65 games that began in 1932 and didn't end until a late season 1-0 loss to Army in 1941. The streak still stands as a national record and is made all the more impressive by the fact that it was accumulated in an era when teams only played six or seven games a year. In his 27 years of coaching at Penn State, Bill Jeffrey led the Nittany Lions to an amazing record of 153-24-29 (.813). Walter Bahr certainly acknowledges Jeffrey for laying the groundwork for later success.

"Bill Jeffrey put together an amazing program, and everybody who has followed him has given so much of their time and energy to ensure that high level of success."

Coaches like Ken Hosterman (1953-67) and Herb Schmidt (1968-73) did their best to carry the torch. In fact, no coach in Penn State's 90-year history has ever had a losing record in their time patrolling the sidelines of what is now Jeffrey field.

In 1974 Walter Bahr became the ninth coach of the Penn State men's soccer team. For the next 14 seasons Bahr led the Nittany Lions to a record of 185-66-22(.718), including the 1979 season when Penn State reached the Final Four after upsetting top-seeded Indiana. Forward Jim Stamatis became the first and only Nittany Lion to earn the Robert Hermann award as the nation's best player.

In 1988 former assistant and current head coach Barry Gorman took over for Walter Bahr. Since then Penn State has joined the Big Ten and it is apparent that it is not only a successful program of the past, but also a dominant program of the future. Needless to say Walter Bahr is pleased with the direction of the program under Gorman, who is now less than 20 victories away from passing his former mentor on the all-time win list.

"I think Barry has done an outstanding job. His energy and commitment are evidenced by his success. Joining the Big Ten was a big step. I really think they have all the tools to be one of the dominant teams of the future."

Coach Gorman has a more humble outlook on his impact on the program.

"I would prefer to answer that when I'm gone. My belief is that I will work hard to make each year a little better than the year before. To improve and move forward, that's what I want."

On the weekend of September 29th through October 1st Penn State will commemorate it's 90th year of soccer with a weekend-long celebration. Friday night the Nittany Lions go head to head with a familiar foe, two-time defending National and Big Ten Champion Indiana in a 7:00 p.m. game. On Sunday, the Gamecocks of South Carolina will enter Jeffrey Field for the first time with the start of the match set for 1:00 p.m. With all three teams currently ranked in the top ten of the Division I national poll, it should be an outstanding weekend of soccer. It is an opportunity to not only celebrate the storied past of Penn State soccer, but also its bright future.