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2005 NCAA Division I Men's All-Americans
2005 NCAA Division I Women's All-Americans
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NCAA men Tabatznik resigns as coach at Georgetown after 22 years.
SoccerTimes WASHINGTON, D.C. (Friday, February 17, 2006) - Keith Tabatznik, coach of Georgetown's men for the last 22 years, has resigned to pursue other interests. "It's pretty simple, straightforward. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time." aaid Tabatznik, 47, a two-time Big East "Coach of the Year." "Twenty-two years is a long time. If I stayed at Georgetown, I'd never do anything else. I had to leave Georgetown to do other things." Tabatznik's Hoya teams compiled a 220-187-23 (.538) record, including 94-73-10 (.559) in the Big East where he was feted as the best coach in 1994 and 1997. His success on The Hilltop was accomplished despite Georgetown offering few scholarships. According to Tabatznik, GU offered no scholarships during his first 10 years, a number that grew gradually to a current number of approximately two. The NCAA Division I men's limit is 9.9 with most of Georgetown's opponents either fully funded or close. "The scholarships made the job that much more challenging, but it also made the success that much more rewarding," said Tabatznik, who was born in South Africa, but moved to Baltimore as a young child. The Hoyas were 10-10-1 in 2005, 6-5-1 in the difficult Big East which included national championship aspirants, such as Connecticut and St. John's. Senior defender Jeff Curtin was drafted by Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire in the second round -- 14th overall. Curtin said Tabatznik called him the night before he informed Georgetown of his decision. "As a coach tactically, he was one of the best," Curtin said from the Fire's training camp in Florida. "He's always there for all of his players. He's really close with a lot of his players. He's a great guy. It's a sad day, but everybody's got to leave sometime." One of Curtin's former Hoya teammates, midfielder Dan Gargan spent 2005 in MLS as a rookie with the Colorado Rapids. Tabatznik was a standout defender at Georgetown's nearby rival American from 1976-79 with the Eagles making their first two NCAA Division I tournament appearances in his junior and senior years. In 1979, AU set a school record with six shutouts, the team allowing 0.82 goals per game en route to a 14-3-5 mark. After serving as an assistant at another Washington university, George Washington, Tabatznik took over the Hoyas program at age 24. "It was very difficult to walk away from all the wonderful memories, but I didn't want this to be the only job I ever had," he said. Georgetown promised to look nationally for Tabatznik's replacement. Director of Athletics Bernard Muir could not be reached by phone, but said in an e-mail to SoccerTimes: "Our search for a new men's soccer coach has already begun and based on the feedback we've received thus far, we think we're going to find a terrific candidate." Tabatznik remains the Maryland Boys Olympic Development Program coach and said he had "several irons in the fire" regarding employment. He said he was particularly interested in teaching licensing courses for coaches. He did not rule out the possibility of returning to a college sideline should the right opportunity arise. "I loved college coaching," he said. "That profession is a great profession." Tabatznik's top assistant, Jonathan Pascale had already left GU to take a job as an assistant to Bret Simon at Stanford. Simon also added another assistant, Rob Becerra, who had been men's coach, assistant athletic director and a physical education teacher at University of Redlands (Calif.). As coach, Bercerra led the Bulldogs to a 126-28-7 (.804) record, five NCAA tournament bids and one trip to the Division III national championship game. The Cardinal was 4-11-3 in 2005.
Gary Davidson is SoccerTimes managing editor. E-mail Gary Davidson. Do you have a comment on this story or something to say about soccer in general? Send us a letter. |
