Stanford's Clark to be new coach
By NOAH AMSTADER
Assistant Sports Editor
Stanford men's soccer coach Bobby Clark, who specializes in turning men's soccer teams around, will be named the next Irish men's soccer coach today.
The story was first reported on Soccer America Magazine's Web site Wednesday afternoon. Clark explained his reasons for leaving Stanford to Soccer America.
"My reasons for leaving are not about Stanford Athletics. I have loved my five years here on the Farm," Clark told Soccer America.
"I will not miss the Bay Area cost of living. It will be nice to own a real house again, have a garden, and be able to have family visit without having everyone sleeping in the living room," Clark added.
Stanford Sports Information director Matt Hodson confirmed Thursday that Notre Dame has been granted permission to speak to Clark.
Notre Dame associate athletic director Jim Phillips, who headed up the search for a new coach following the early December decision not to bring back 2000 head coach Chris Apple, was unavailable for comment.
Stanford senior midfielder Sean Sylvis confirmed that Clark told his team that he is leaving Stanford for Notre Dame. Clark also expressed his desire to live in a less expensive area to his Stanford players.
"He has a place up here but it's kind of small," Sylvis said. "I think he wanted a bigger house. I think a lot of it was his family. It's too expensive to live here."
Clark wasted little time in turning around the Cardinal program after arriving in Palo Alto in 1996. Stanford was coming off consecutive 5-12 seasons and hadn't posted a winning record since 1991.
In his first season, the Cardinal finished 10-4-4. In 1997 the team made its first ever trip to the NCAA tournament.
Then came 1998. Clark proved to be the Dennis Erickson of men's soccer, guiding the Cardinal all the way to the NCAA Championship Game, where they fell to Indiana.
Before coaching at Stanford, where Clark's final record was 71-21-12 in five seasons, he coached at Dartmouth of the Ivy League from 1985 through 1994, where he led the Big Green to an 82-42-13 record and two NCAA quarterfinal appearances.
Clark's coaching success can be attributed to his style and dedication to recruiting. Sylvis was considering both Notre Dame and Stanford as a senior in high school back in 1996. It was Clark's personal attention that led him to choose Palo Alto as his next home.
"I'd get a call every week just asking how I was," Sylvis remembered. "I was one of the big reasons I came to Stanford."
The late Notre Dame head coach Mike Berticelli, on the other hand, had his assistants, including Apple, do much of the talking with Sylvis.
"I didn't have much contact with him. I actually talked quite a bit with one of his assistants [Apple]," Sylvis said.
"It gave me the feeling that the head coach wasn't as in to it."
"I think that was the big difference. Clark made me feel that he actually wanted me on the team and that he was going to do everything he could to get me there," Sylvis said.
In terms of his coaching style, Clark concentrates on basic fundamentals and being an important person in his athletes lives.
"Coach Clark is a big believer in the [UCLA basketball coaching legend] John Wooden style of coaching," Sylvis said. "He coaches life lessons as well as things you need to do on the soccer field. It's very fun to be coached by that kind of style."
Sylvis also described Clark as a more laid-back coach, a contrast to the intense environment that existed under Apple in 2000.
"He never yells, he never gets angry with the players," Sylvis said. "Everyone knows he has the experience at top level soccer so everyone respects what he has to say. He never has to yell."
Following the Cardinal's unexpected loss to SMU in the national quarterfinals last fall, Clark was nothing but positive.
"In the last game, he couldn't have been more proud of us, which is very nice to hear," Sylvis said. "We felt we had basically given our all in that game."
Sylvis feels that his coach was attracted to South Bend by more than just the lower cost of living.
"I'm sure he's always looking for another challenge to turn a team around," he said.
With the an Irish squad that has one NCAA tournament victory in its history, that challenge is just around the corner.
All Sports Stories for Friday, January 19, 2001
