Todd Yeagley takes Indiana coaching job
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Dec 21, 2009
Todd Yeagley recently completed his first season as Wisconsin head coach. After a slow start, the Badgers knocked off three Big Ten opponents who made the NCAA Tournament: Northwestern, Ohio State, and Michigan State.
"It is an honor to be selected to lead the Indiana University men's soccer program," Yeagley said. "Suzy and I are excited to return to our beloved alma mater and raise our three boys in a wonderful college town. I would like to thank the University of Wisconsin for the opportunity to coach at such a fine institution and athletics department. Indiana University is the gold standard for college soccer and I am looking forward to building upon our rich standard of excellence."
Yeagley will receive the same compensation package enjoyed by Freitag, including a base salary of $96,635.
"Todd Yeagley is a noted recruiter and motivator who has the maturity, presence, and experience to successfully lead the nation's premier college soccer program," said Director of Athletics Fred Glass. "Coach Yeagley was a legendary player and is an experienced Big Ten coach, and last season he guided Wisconsin to substantial improvement in conference play in his first year in Madison. Todd Yeagley is the complete package and I am thrilled to welcome him back to Bloomington."
One of only two four-time All-Americans in Indiana history, Yeagley didn't win a national championship during his stay at IU but did win the MAC Award in 1994. Yeagley joined the IU staff in 2003 after spending seven years with MLS's Columbus Crew.
His selection as Freitag's replacement supports conspiracy theorists who have argued that his father still pulls the strings of the Hoosier program. (Freitag acknowledged a falling out with Yeagley Sr., who coached the school's varsity program from 1973-2003.)
(Akron coach Caleb Porter, an IU alumnus and former assistant coach, chose to remain with the Zips, signing a contract extension for the second time in a little more than a year after drawing serious interest from D.C. United.)
"All three candidates were outstanding and each of them would have been an exceptional head coach at Indiana," Glass said without revealing the other two finalists. "In the final analysis, Todd emerged as the preferred candidate among excellent candidates."
