Sept. 7, 2004
"A fluke."
That is the way first-year San Diego State women's soccer head coach Dr. Mike Giuliano describes how he got into the coaching profession.
"I was getting my Ph.D at Northwestern University and teaching part-time at a nearby college," Giuliano said. "I was playing club soccer there and almost out of frustration, they asked me to coach. I decided to give it a try and I loved it. From the first minute of the first practice, I knew I would coach the rest of my life."
On March 30, 2004, SDSU became the beneficiary of the "fluke" when Giuliano, one of the most successful soccer coaches in NAIA history, was named the program's third head coach.
Giuliano developed Westmont College into a NAIA powerhouse, producing a 194-42-15 record in 11 seasons and winning four NAIA national titles in five years, including one in each of his last three seasons. During the most recent three-year championship run, his teams posted a cumulative mark of 61-6-0. On four occasions, he has been named both the adidas National Collegiate Coach of the Year and the NAIA National Collegiate Coach of the Year. He is the first coach at any collegiate level to win the adidas award three consecutive years.
"Mike brings the complete package to San Diego State University," SDSU Director of Athletics Mike Bohn said. "He is a proven winner with academic balance, passion, discipline and has vision for long-term success, as well as providing an immediate impact on our program."
Giuliano replaced Chuck Clegg, who retired after compiling a 122-81-8 record in 11 seasons at SDSU. Giuliano takes over a San Diego State team that finished 7-10-2 in 2003 and finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference.
"I honestly believe that this is one of the best coaching positions in Division I," Giuliano said. "You take a world-class university with big-time support for its athletic programs, put it smack dab in the middle of America's most beautiful city, and then you surround it with the best girls' high school soccer in the nation. You have every ingredient for a perennial national soccer power, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for SDSU soccer."
During Giuliano's tenure at Westmont, the school produced three NAIA National Players of the Year, 30 All-Americans and 16 scholar-athletes. He also helped coach 55 all-Golden State Athletic Conference selections, including three GSAC Players of the Year. In addition to leaving Westmont as the all-time leader in wins, he ranks third all-time in the NAIA for career wins (194) and winning percentage (80.3).
A professor in the communication department for 11 years at Westmont, Giuliano had to give up teaching duties to coach full-time at SDSU. However, as Giuliano explains, he is still teaching every day.
"At the end of the day, the coach is simply a teacher," Giuliano said. "I love the challenge of saying old things in new ways. That's where teaching comes in. I use what I taught there with my players now. I'm now teaching at an environment that is good as or even better than the classroom. We're going to have a shocking loss this year, but it is a great moment to learn a life lesson. And then we're going to beat a team that no one thought we could. That will be a great teaching moment, too."
Fluke or no fluke, Giuliano is an Aztec now and the future of San Diego State women's soccer looks bright.
Giuliano resides in San Diego with his wife, Barbara, and three children: Joshua (14), Justin (10) and Linnae (8).