2008 Woodie Awards
Men's soccer head coach Eric Mild decides to move on to assistant job at UC Davis
By: Thomas Lawrence
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: Sports
After seven years at the helm of the California State University, Stanislaus men's soccer team, head coach Eric Mild has resigned from his position and taken a job at the University of California at Davis as an assistant coach.
In his time at CSU Stanislaus, Mild took the Warrior men to their first postseason, after a narrow miss in 2005.
In 2006, the Warriors slipped into the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament with a mark of 10-9-2. The team came alive in the postseason though, and finished as the runner-up in the conference tournament.
"That is a level that the program can compete at on a relatively consistent basis," Mild said, acknowledging that a lack of resources for the men's soccer program makes it difficult to be a playoff team year after year.
However, the 2007 season was a disappointing one for the Warriors, who went 4-11-4 in Mild's final season as the head coach.
"It had nothing to do with the past season... it was the opportunity," said Mild.
Mild leaves Turlock for Davis, to coach alongside the man he once played for at Santa Rosa Junior College: Aggie head coach Dwayne Shaffer, whom he was also an assistant for from 1997-2001.
While Mild did confirm that he would love to be a Division I head coach, much more went into his decision to leave than his career aspirations.
His relationship with coach Shaffer, the town of Davis and the fact that he met his wife, Amy while they attended UC Davis weighed heavily on his decision to go. Mild said that the thought of raising his family in Davis seemed to be the right thing to do.
As most coaches will admit, the toughest part for him will be leaving behind the relationships built with those at the university and the players he's had throughout the years.
Mild not only elevated the CSU Stanislaus men's soccer program to a new level on the field, but meant much more to those around the university off of it.
"Everything he does is professional," said an appreciative Dr. Milton Richards, athletic director at CSU Stanislaus and the man who hired Mild directly in 2001.
According to Richards, Mild came directly to him as soon as the job offer came from UC Davis, a sign of respect for their positive interactions over the last seven seasons.
Mild will stay for the remainder of the Warriors' spring workouts before heading over to Davis, but in the mean time, the search for a new coach begins, at least at a preliminary stage.
"We're kind of getting things together," Richards said. "I like to be very diligent in hiring people."
Mild takes his wife, Amy, and his two children, Tessa and Grayson, to Davis to join the staff of a team that was 12-4-3 before losing to the No. 17 University of California at Berkeley Golden Bears in the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs.
In his time at CSU Stanislaus, Mild took the Warrior men to their first postseason, after a narrow miss in 2005.
In 2006, the Warriors slipped into the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament with a mark of 10-9-2. The team came alive in the postseason though, and finished as the runner-up in the conference tournament.
"That is a level that the program can compete at on a relatively consistent basis," Mild said, acknowledging that a lack of resources for the men's soccer program makes it difficult to be a playoff team year after year.
However, the 2007 season was a disappointing one for the Warriors, who went 4-11-4 in Mild's final season as the head coach.
"It had nothing to do with the past season... it was the opportunity," said Mild.
Mild leaves Turlock for Davis, to coach alongside the man he once played for at Santa Rosa Junior College: Aggie head coach Dwayne Shaffer, whom he was also an assistant for from 1997-2001.
While Mild did confirm that he would love to be a Division I head coach, much more went into his decision to leave than his career aspirations.
His relationship with coach Shaffer, the town of Davis and the fact that he met his wife, Amy while they attended UC Davis weighed heavily on his decision to go. Mild said that the thought of raising his family in Davis seemed to be the right thing to do.
As most coaches will admit, the toughest part for him will be leaving behind the relationships built with those at the university and the players he's had throughout the years.
Mild not only elevated the CSU Stanislaus men's soccer program to a new level on the field, but meant much more to those around the university off of it.
"Everything he does is professional," said an appreciative Dr. Milton Richards, athletic director at CSU Stanislaus and the man who hired Mild directly in 2001.
According to Richards, Mild came directly to him as soon as the job offer came from UC Davis, a sign of respect for their positive interactions over the last seven seasons.
Mild will stay for the remainder of the Warriors' spring workouts before heading over to Davis, but in the mean time, the search for a new coach begins, at least at a preliminary stage.
"We're kind of getting things together," Richards said. "I like to be very diligent in hiring people."
Mild takes his wife, Amy, and his two children, Tessa and Grayson, to Davis to join the staff of a team that was 12-4-3 before losing to the No. 17 University of California at Berkeley Golden Bears in the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs.
Be the first to comment on this story