Hall of Honor
As Wheaton’s first full-time men's soccer coach, Bob Baptista guided the team for 16 seasons, accumulating 104 victories against only 52 defeats. He coached 11 All-Americans and 47 All-Midwest players at Wheaton and produced two conference and three NCAA Mid-East regional championship teams. Bob was a 1948 Wheaton graduate and captained both the soccer and basketball teams during his time as a student. However, his biggest contribution to the Wheaton athletic program began in 1951 when he took over as head men's soccer coach.
Highlights of Bob’s coaching career include back-to-back victories over Michigan State and eventual NCAA champion St. Louis to give the Crusaders a share of the conference title in 1959, and an undefeated team in 1966 that had an 11-0-3 record. Baptista’s last two teams were responsible for the first two NCAA Mid-East Regional titles in a string that would eventually last six years. In 1976, Bob was awarded the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s annual Honor Award, the highest honor bestowed by the NSCAA.
