April 29, 2011
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Assistant coach Steve Seargeant will be retiring after 20 years of service with the Oakland University men's soccer team, head men's soccer coach Eric Pogue announced on Friday. Known to his players and associates as "Sarge", Seargeant is a former professional soccer player from Liverpool, England, Seargeant joined the OU soccer program in 1984 and has enjoyed a consistent role with the team since 1992.
"Sarge has been part of the heart and soul of Oakland Soccer for close to 20 years," said Pogue. "Oakland Soccer has always hung its hat on being a very defensive-minded, hard-nosed soccer team that is tough to beat and tough to score against. That is the legacy that he helped create and will leave here at Oakland.
Seargeant was part of the group that helped guide the soccer program from the Division II era into the school's current standing as a member of the NCAA Division I. As a coach he assisted on twice on Oakland teams that advanced to the Division II National Championship game and saw the team finish the year ranked as high as second in the nation. He has also had a hand in each of Oakland's five trips to the NCAA Division I men's tournament, including this year's run which saw the team win its third Summit League Championship.
"I enjoyed being a part of the journey that grew [the Oakland University soccer program] from an NCAA Division II team into a top-class Division I program," said Seargeant. "I met and worked with a number of top-class people, not only within the soccer program, but with members of the administration as well. I am thankful for the past years and I wish the team the very best of luck."
Along the way, Seargeant not only exerted influence on the field, but also helped to shape the lives of young men that have come through the program. Many of OU's top players have Seargeant to thank for their recruitment and molding during their formative years. Several have even gone on to have highly-successful soccer playing and coaching careers.
Former OU standout Paul Snape, who was recently named the head coach at Butler University had this to say about Seargeant:
"I will forever be indebted to Steve Seargeant (Sarge) for recruiting me to Oakland University in 1996. He convinced me with his knowledge, wisdom, and passion that I needed to leave England and embark on a new challenge at Oakland University, and I have never ever regretted this decision.
"Sarge saw potential in me while others saw flaws. He is an incredibly loyal, genuine and humble human being, who cares more about the welfare of other people than himself. Sarge has had a huge impact on youth and college soccer in the state of Michigan and he should be extremely proud of what he has accomplished. I have so much to be thankful of these days, and none of this could've have been possible without Sarge. He is a true legend."
Current Oakland men's soccer assistant coach and former Oakland All-American Jason Perry says of Seargeant:
"Sarge is someone who sees the best in people, even when that person might not be able to see it within themselves. Rarely is there a time that he doesn't mesh with another person. I owe Sarge a great deal of gratitude, as he was the person who developed me into the player I was here at OU and in the pros.
"More importantly he helped mold me into the person I am today. He has a huge heart behind his "lion-like" façade and only wants the best for those who he has a chance to work with."
Seargeant spent 18 years working as an assistant with OU's legendary head coach Gary Parsons, who had this to say:
"When you thought about coaching at OU for those 18 years we were together, it was a team, not a single act. Sometimes it was like Phil Jackson and Tex Winters and sometimes it was like Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
"All the success that OU had over the past twenty years couldn't have been achieved without Sarge. OU has always been known as a team that played very tough defense and was very difficult to beat. That is Sarge's personality and Oakland has worn it with pride for many years."
Seargeant will go on to join Parsons as an assistant coach with the Michigan Bucks a Premier Development Team in the United Soccer League. The team, which competes during the summer months, will feature a number of the area's most talented soccer players, including several members of the Oakland men's soccer squad.
"Sarge, has molded countless numbers of young boys into young men with his rare combination of tough love and a kind heart. He holds his `chaps' to a very high standard of excellence and will not tolerate anything less than 110% from them," concluded Pogue. "He has moved on to new opportunities, but he will not be soon forgotten for the countless hours of blood, sweat and tears that he poured into Oakland University and Oakland soccer. You will be missed Sarge."
-OAKLAND-
