Faculty Highlight: Jeff Pill, Soccer Coach
If you’ve ever been to a Sabercats soccer game, sat on the bleachers or the grass, shaded your eyes while you watched the athletes run past, you’ve witnessed the strategy and seasons of investment of Coach Jeff Pill. He stands by the bench on the other side of the field, watching from under a visor as one of his players steals the ball. Whether the game ends in a win or a loss, Coach Pill is there for his team on and off the field, because he knows life is more than the game.
Just a few more seconds on the clock. Find a seat near the bench and once the game is over, join the conversation as Coach Pill introduces himself.
How did you become interested in coaching soccer?
It started back when I was playing soccer in high school. My high school coach asked me to help out with a team he was coaching in our town. That then grew into helping him with soccer camps during the summer. So from about 15 years old on, I was coaching camps and youth teams, which then led me to want to be an education major in college. I played soccer during college and little beyond. Coaching became a natural extension to playing the sport, but I do believe it all started back when I wanted to be just like my high school coach.
What is your educational background?
I double-majored in Middle School and Elementary Education and minored in math, and now I have a master’s degree in Sport Science.
What did you do before you came to MBU?
I was a National Staff Coach for U.S. Soccer and worked with the women’s national team program. I was a coach and a scout, and then I became involved in coaching education.
What brought you to MBU?
A friend of mine was the president of Maranatha at the time, Dr. Phelps. He had questions about the role of athletics in a Christian college. As we began to talk through that, I believe the Lord was working in my heart and showed me that working at MBU would be a fun opportunity. It was something different than what I had been doing for the last 12-13 years in U.S. Soccer. I saw the potential for the job, and the timing was just right.
What is your favorite part about MBU?
I think my favorite part is working with the team and being around the soccer guys. We spend a lot of time together during the season, but also on the off season. We have a Tonal Defenders outreach ministry going on, and we were in about seven churches this year. It takes a lot of time, but it keeps us together during the off season, which is a bit unique.
I really enjoy the classroom as well. My classes are varied, so it keeps things interesting. Having some of the players in my classes puts added pressure on me. I try to model the theories we learn in the classroom on the field.
I also enjoy Maranatha because I get to hang out with cool young people that keep me fit.
Do you have advice for prospective students?
This whole experience is what you make it. If you want to actualize your potential, choose your friends carefully. Don’t hang out with the scoffers, but choose positive people to be around. Do the best you can, and challenge yourself.
Get involved in something you didn’t see yourself doing at first. I was just reminiscing with some of the soccer guys about when several of us on the team tried out for the play Pirates of Penzance. These guys never ever dreamed they would do that, but they ended up loving it and it was a great memory for all of us. They look back to it and say it was one of the highlights of their college experience. That comes from a culture of being willing to take risks.
What is a proud moment from your life?
I would say a proud moment is the process of my wife and I working together to raise our kids. They all did well here at college and are enjoying what the Lord has called them to do. They all chose their friends really wisely. It was a blessing for us getting to spend extra years with our kids because they all chose to stay here at MBU to go to school. So that would be my proudest moment.
Another proud moment is my work with U.S. Soccer,which has been ongoing. All the experiences I had with U.S. Soccer continue to impact what I do now in the classroom. Being involved in a program on the national level is outside the typical bubble and has been really enjoyable.
Can you tell us about your family?
I met my wife at college in the first week of freshman year. We didn’t start dating until our junior year. We had the same major, so we were in a lot of the same classes. It was a friendship that turned into a romance. We were married just three weeks after college. We have three children, all of whom graduated from Maranatha.
I was saved when I was five at a Vacation Bible School during the summer. I remember even as a five-year old, I was convicted of my sin. I was saved at a young age and continue to enjoy the blessings of sanctification 53 years later.
Do you have any hobbies and/or oddities?
Along with cycling to stay fit, I enjoy serving at my local church as a deacon, singing in the choir and helping with the soccer ministry there. I have loved singing with the soccer players here at MBU in choirs or quartets. I also love anything sports, whether it’s playing golf or following sports teams. I also enjoy reading a variety of literary genres and spending time with friends and family.
Are you working on any big projects right now?
Yes, I am working with U.S. Soccer on their grassroots coaching initiatives. I have been asked to help develop instructors of the grassroots coaching licenses, so I am an instructor of the instructors. This is a nation-wide initiative.