Indiana University Athletics
The Columbus Connection: A Crew of Hoosiers
3/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
March 22, 2007
When the Indiana men's soccer team takes the field on Saturday in a spring game against Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, the team will find a few familiar faces staring back at them from the other side of the pitch in former Hoosiers Ned Grabavoy, Danny O'Rourke and Jed Zayner.
Numerous former Indiana soccer players have found success in MLS. The Hoosiers currently have more former student-athletes in MLS than they do in the NBA, NFL, MLB and WNBA combined. Through the first 12 MLS drafts, Indiana has had 22 players drafted, which ranks second overall for colleges.
In no team is this relationship more evident than with the Columbus Crew. Former Hoosiers have played a role in the Crew's success since the beginning of MLS, now in its 11th season. Eight players have left Bloomington to play in Columbus, which is more than any other team. Those players include Brian Maisonneuve, current Indiana assistant coach Todd Yeagley and O'Rourke, all former Division I players of the year. Others include World Cup goalkeeper Juergen Sommer, All-Americans Mike Clark, Grabavoy and Zayner, and Brandon Ward.
The connection begins at the very beginning of the team with former Indiana graduate assistant and volunteer coach Jamey Rootes. He served as an assistant on former head coach Jerry Yeagley's staff from 1992-93 while working toward his MBA and was hired by Lamar Hunt as the first general manager of the Crew. Today, he is the president of business operations for the NFL's Houston Texans.
"The experience I had at Indiana, both in graduate school and the experience working on Coach (Jerry) Yeagley's and Coach (Mike) Freitag's staff had an indelible impact on me and has been one of the great influences on my career," Rootes said. "If you look at why Indiana is what it is and has been for so many years, the coach is that catalyst. Folks in Bloomington recognize that. Coach Yeagley built something of a lasting value, and Coach Freitag has continued to build that tradition. They have continued to take the program and they want to see it get better and grow over time. Those two have had a tremendous impact on my development, and I learned a great deal at the time."
Former Hoosiers played a key role on Rootes' first team. Maisonneuve, who represented the United States in the 1996 Olympics, was one of the first players to join the team. He was one of a select number of elite players allocated to the Crew by MLS before the first draft was held.
"I was real excited," Maisonneuve said. "I knew Jamey from Indiana, and I knew the head coach at the time, Timo Liekoski, from the U-23 Olympic Team. I played for assistant coach Tom Fitzgerald with the National `B' Team. That helped me in going to Columbus. I was brought in to do media appearances, and I saw the city and how the organization was run, and I just fell in love with it."
Three more Hoosiers joined Maisonneuve on the Crew following the inaugural draft - Clark, Ward and Yeagley.
"I was ecstatic," Yeagley said. "It was the team I was hoping for. That draft was such a different draft, because it was the first one. No teams had existed and you needed certain players. It was based on very little from a three-day combine, so you really didn't know. Luckily, with Jamey being the GM, he knew all of us IU players so we felt that the chances were strong. It worked out that there were four guys who joined the team, so it was a best-case scenario."
Maisonneuve was also excited to be rejoining his former teammates.
"That was fantastic," Maisonneuve said. "When I saw that they were all coming to the Crew, I couldn't have asked for anything better. We played together for four years at Indiana, but I also played club ball and on the state team with Clark and I played with Brandon and Todd on the regional team. They are not only great soccer players but they are some of the best teammates you could ask for."
When forming his team, Rootes had no hesitations about bringing in former Indiana athletes to play for him.
"All of these guys were exceptional players and high character guys, both of which are very important," Rootes said. "They are the kind of guys who you want on a team. They work hard, they are accountable, and they get along with their teammates. Also, I knew the way they were all developed. I knew these were the kind of guys who could be the backbone of our team.
"The team was built around young American players, which included Brian McBride from Saint Louis. They struggled a little out of the gate, but we fielded a consistently competitive team and year in and year out they were always considered a contender for the championship. The young American players were the core of the team. I wanted to demonstrate that the young American soccer player in the right system could compete."
Ward (1996) and Sommer (1998) each played one season with the Crew. Sommer is fifth on the all-time Crew list with 106 saves.
Clark, Yeagley and Maisonneuve combined to play for a total of 24 years. Yeagley retired in 2002 and spent one year as the assistant general manager of the Crew before returning to Indiana to serve as an assistant coach. He is one of just six athletes to play more than 10,000 minutes with the Crew. Clark's last year was 2003. He holds the Crew record for minutes played (18,942). Clark is in private business, and coaches youth soccer on the side.
Maisonneuve was the only remaining original player on the Crew when he retired in 2004. He ranks third on the Crew list in both games played (172) and minutes played (13,920). Maisonneuve currently serves as an assistant coach with the Under-17 National Team.
Crew Stadium has also played a role in Indiana's history. The Hoosiers won the 2003 NCAA title in a snowstorm in Columbus, defeating St. John's, 2-1. That spring, the Crew helped set up a doubleheader event for fans on their opening day. Indiana played Maryland in the afternoon in a spring game for both teams. As Columbus played New York that evening, the Hoosiers were honored at halftime for their national championship.
 Danny O'Rourke in the 2004 NCAA title game. He is in his first season with the Crew.  |
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"There was a time when we didn't have any former players on the Crew, and I kept saying to their staff, `Lets look at our problems here, we've got to get some more Hoosiers back to Columbus,'" Yeagley said. "For them to have three again is great and a pleasant surprise. Danny being from Columbus, he's a perfect fit. I expect much better things from the Crew this year with three Hoosiers."
O'Rourke is excited to be back in his hometown.
"I've always wanted to go back to Columbus," O'Rourke said. "Fortunately I was able to play for two good teams that prepared me to go there. I think this year is going to be special, not just for our team, but also to be home.
"Being around guys that you're accustomed to playing with is nice; you know their tendencies, so it's good to play with them. Any time I can play with a player of Ned's caliber, it's great. We still have a connection from when we played together, but I think we've both learned a lot since."
Maisonneuve is also pleased about the influx of Indiana players.
"Anytime you go to school at Indiana and can have players go play professional ball anywhere, let alone your own club, makes you feel proud," Maisonneuve said. "It's like a family; you want them to do well, and you're proud of everyone involved."
