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Hall of Fame

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Bob Gustavson

  • Sport(s)
    Coach

Taking over the fledgling men's soccer program in 1980, Bob Gustavson began a journey at JBU that would include over 300 wins over a span of nearly three decades.

The all-time winningest coach in program history made his way from Barrington College (R.I.) in the summer of 1980 and quickly turned the state of Arkansas' first intercollegiate soccer program into an annual contender. The Golden Eagles quickly captured back-to-back NCCAA national titles (1983, 1984) and would appear at the NCCAA National Tournament a total of five times in the 1980's (1981, 1987, 1989). As the program pursued different postseason opportunities each season, Gustavson guided the program to its first-ever NAIA National Championships appearance in 1988.

In 1993, the Golden Eagles would pick up its first-ever win at the NAIA National Championships, a 5-0 drubbing of Walsh University (Ohio), but fell in controversial fashion to eventual champion Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois at Springfield). Gustavson would later guide JBU to back-to-back NAIA National Championships appearances in 2002 and 2003.

Stepping away from collegiate coaching at the end of the 2008 season, Gustavson had compiled a 308-194-44 (.604) overall record. Averaging over 10 wins per season, Gustavson enjoyed 21 winning seasons and posted a program record 17 wins in a single season, twice, in 1991 and 1993. Both of those 17-win seasons had Terry Brown listed on the roster.

Gustavson's career was littered with coaching awards. He was a 12-time District Coach of the Year, four-time NAIA Regional Coach of the Year and a two-time Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honoree (2000, 2002). In 1993, he was voted the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Umbro Midwest Coach of the Year, and in 1994, he served as 1994 West squad head coach in the Umbro Senior Classic.

With Gustavson at the helm, JBU men's soccer enjoyed 15 NCCAA All-Americans, 12 NAIA All-Americans, seven SAC All-Stars, 17 All-Conference selections and 11 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

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