Joe Luxbacher, Pittsburgh’s men’s head coach for the last 32 years, has announced his retirement, finishing as Pitt’s all-time winningest soccer coachwith a 224-267-69 record.
Luxbacher also served the program as an assistant coach (1983) and was a player from 1970-73. He is one of only two head coaches in the 62-yearhistory of men’s soccer at Pitt, taking over from mentor Leo Bemis in 1984. Luxbacher was also the head coach at Mt. Union College, where he was 24-12-1from 1978-81.
“I’ve spent more than 30 years at Pitt, first as a student-athlete, then a graduate student, and later as a coach,” Luxbacher said. “I’ve enjoyed manygreat experiences, met many fine people and made lifelong friendships with many individuals both within and also outside of the athletic department. As a college soccer coach, I’ve worked with manyoutstanding young men over years and hope that in some way I’ve had a positive impact on them.
“While I enjoy coaching and love the sport, I also have many otherinterests outside of soccer. Coaching at the collegiate level can be an all-consuming job and I simply feel that this is the right time to turn the page and pursue some of my other varied interests. Iam pretty sure that I will stay involved in the game of soccer in some manner, although not primarily as the coach of a team.”