COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University soccer coach Pat Haws announced his retirement Thursday, April 1, following 37 years with the athletic department.

 

Haws will continue serving as head coach at SJU until his contract expires June 30, and the search process for his replacement will begin immediately.

 

The winningest coach in Minnesota college men's soccer history, Haws guided the Johnnies to a 341-140-50 (.689) record and a 218-77-31 (.716) MIAC record with seven regular-season conference titles and one MIAC playoff championship to his credit. He entered the 2009 season 15th among active coaches and 19th all-time in NCAA Division III in career victories.

 

Haws was named the MIAC Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1989 and the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1986. In 2005, he became the first soccer coach in MIAC history to win more than 300 matches. His teams finished first or second in the MIAC 15 times, and in the 1980s, SJU ranked seventh among Division III teams with a .772 winning percentage.

 

“I am forever grateful to Saint John's University for allowing me to follow in the footsteps of my late father, SJU wrestling coach Terry Haws, and subsequently for the opportunity to have my son, John, serve as my assistant coach for the last 10 years,” Haws said.

 

A 1972 graduate of Saint John's, Haws was hired in 1973 to start the swimming and diving program, which he coached for 25 years until 1998. In 1978, Haws took over the Johnnie soccer program for 32 seasons. Along the way, Haws coached golf and tennis, and served as an instructor and facilities manager.

 

In NCAA Division III tournament play, the SJU soccer program received playoff bids in 1986, 1989, 1990 and 2005. In 1986 and 1989, Saint John's reached the Division III quarterfinals. One-goal losses kept the Johnnies from competing in the NCAA national semifinals in both of those historic campaigns. Haws coached two All-America selections, 88 All-MIAC first-team selections, three MIAC Player of the Year recipients, one Academic All-America selection and eight Academic All-District selections.

 

“I have been the 'head coach' for nearly 75 separate seasons,” Haws said. “I am very much looking forward to becoming a full-time assistant coach for my wife, Mary Ann, in our home in Avon.”

 

The guiding force behind Saint John's swimming and diving success, Haws coached one national champion, 40 All-Americans and 250 All-MIAC performances (top-three individually, MIAC-champion relay) during his tenure. The Johnnies finished in the top three of the MIAC 23 of the 25 seasons with Haws as head coach, including 15 second-place finishes.

 

“We thank Pat for 37 years of diligent and dedicated service to Saint John's in many capacities, but especially in soccer, where he has built a wonderful and nationally-respected program,” SJU athletic director Tom Stock said. “We will miss him and wish him all the best.”

 

The brilliance of Haws' multi-sport coaching career is the self-proclaimed fact that he was not a gifted athlete.

 

“In high school I played football on the bench, wrestled on my back and pole vaulted on the ground,” Haws said. “I was just simply not a gifted athlete; my forte was my tuba.”