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A legacy of tradition and excellence has been established by University of Pittsburgh men's soccer coach Joe Luxbacher, only the second head coach in the program's 54-year history. The Big East Conference Coach of the Year recipient in both 1992 and 1995, Luxbacher's teams have compiled six 10-plus victory seasons and eight Big East Conference Tournament appearances during his tenure. In 1992, the Panthers set a then-school record for victories (12) and advanced to the Big East Tournament. Despite a slow start the following season, Pittsburgh rallied to win five of its last six games, falling just short in its bid to return to the Big East playoffs. In 1995, Luxbacher's squad won a school-record 14 games and recorded Pitt's first-ever conference tournament victory as it defeated Seton Hall in a shootout. Through the years the Panthers have met the challenge of being a top-25 caliber Division I program. During the 2000 campaign, the team was ranked as high as No. 7 nationally. "Our goal as a program is to be a top-25 team," Luxbacher said. "I believe we are establishing a foundation that will enable us to realize that goal on a consistent basis. To do so requires a group of talented and committed players, a quality coaching and support staff and a willingness by all to prepare for success, to commit to becoming the best we can possibly be. Towards that aim I try to arrange a difficult schedule that will give us a realistic picture of where we are as a program. Competing in the Big East Conference enables us to do that on an annual basis, as we play in what is arguably the strongest Division I men's soccer conference. I prefer to play a schedule that challenges us to the best of our abilities, a schedule that, if we are successful, truly means we have achieved something." Prior to making his mark as a coach, Luxbacher set the standard for individual scoring achievement as a Panther player. In his three-year collegiate career from 1970-73, he established four school records including most goals in a game (seven), most points in a game (15), career goals (37) and career points (84). He led the Panthers in both points and goals for three consecutive seasons and led the 1973 squad in assists. As the team's captain and Most Valuable Player in his senior season, Luxbacher averaged 12-plus goals and 28 points per season in his career for head coach Leo Bemis. After Luxbacher graduated from Pittsburgh in 1974, he began his professional playing career with the Philadelphia Atoms of the North American Soccer League (NASL). After two seasons with the Atoms, he traveled abroad with a select team touring Europe. Afterward Luxbacher returned to his hometown as a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League's (MISL) Pittsburgh Spirit, where he had the distinction of scoring the Spirit's first goal in franchise history. Even though Luxbacher has had the good fortune to play internationally and compete at the professional level, he remains loyal to his local Pittsburgh roots. Luxbacher learned the game while growing up in Beadling, a small mining town just south of Pittsburgh which boasts a rich soccer history. Through the years, Beadling teams have won many local and national competitions and in 1954 the men's senior team was crowned national amateur champions (United States Soccer Federation) when it defeated St. Louis in the National Amateur Cup final. As a youngster Luxbacher developed his passion and love of the sport from his dad, uncles and the many senior players in Beadling. Each evening a group of players, young and old alike, would gather to play pick-up games on the town soccer field. On weekends the Beadling teams would compete against teams from local towns in organized games. Intense rivalries arose and the pride of representing their town provided motivation to win. "The senior players were tough, blue-collar guys who played a rough game of soccer," recalls Luxbacher. "There was always a great deal of pride and camaraderie on the Beadling teams, and I learned early on the value of commitment and teamwork. I wouldn't have reached the playing level that I did had I not grown up in this close-knit and supportive soccer culture." In addition to Luxbacher, Beadling groomed two other Panther greats, Robert Cherry (1955) and Jerome Bressanelli (1955-57). Bressanelli was an All-American for the Panthers, while Cherry still holds two school records. With international, professional and collegiate experiences, Luxbacher decided to return to coaching. In 1978, he was named the head men's soccer coach at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. During his three-year tenure at Mount Union, Luxbacher compiled a 24-12-4 record. In 1981, Luxbacher returned to the University of Pittsburgh to complete a PhD and in 1983 served as an assistant under his former college coach, Leo Bemis. Bemis retired from coaching in 1984 and Pitt named Luxbacher as only its second head men's soccer coach. "An essential element for success in any endeavor is to surround yourself with good people and I have tried to do that," Luxbacher said. "Our players and coaches are expected to work hard, be trustworthy, accept responsibility and be totally committed to the team and program. We treat our players as men and they are expected to act as such. My goal is for everyone involved in our program to be successful and at the same time, cherish the experience. On a personal level I enjoy working with the players, I enjoy the competition, and I take pride in representing Pitt." Luxbacher also serves as the founder and director of the Shoot to Score Soccer Academy, which offers instructional soccer camps to youth players of all ages. In addition, he has authored more than a dozen books for both coaches and players covering various aspects of soccer, as well as a couple of titles dealing with health and fitness (Conditioning for Soccer - McGraw-Hill Publishers, and Total Fitness - Wish Publishing Co.). Most of Luxbacher's soccer books are available through the publisher Human Kinetics. Luxbacher is an avid outdoorsman and has also contributed to another book, Hiking Guide to the Monongahela National Forest. During the past year he was asked to contribute a chapter titled "Careers in Coaching and Athletics" for the college textbook Introduction to Kinesiology (2008) and also wrote and produced a series of coaching DVD's titled "Winning Soccer." He is presently nearing completion on the third edition of "Soccer Practice Games", due for publication in 2010. Luxbacher earned both his Master's (1978) and Doctorate (1985) degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and has earned the "Level A" coaching certification from the United States Soccer Federation. He was honored as a "Letterman of Distinction" by the University of Pittsburgh in 2003. Luxbacher was inducted into the Beadling Sports Club Hall of Fame (1995), the Upper St. Clair High School Athletics Hall of Fame (2003) and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. He resides in suburban Pittsburgh with his wife Gail, daughter Eliza (12) and son Travis (11). THE JOE LUXBACHER FILE Born: February 10, 1951 Hometown: Beadling, Pa. High School: Upper St. Clair College Education: University of Pittsburgh, 1974, B.S. in Biological Sciences; M.Ed. in Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 1978; Ph.D. in Administration of Physical Education and Athletics, 1985. Family: Wife Gail Ann, daughter Eliza Gail (12), and son Travis Joseph (11). Coaching experience: Assistant coach, University of Pittsburgh, 1975 and 1983; Head coach, Mount Union College, Ohio, 1978-81; Head coach: University of Pittsburgh, 1984-present. LUXBACHER'S PLAYING CAREER College:
Professional:
LUXBACHER'S COACHING CAREER
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