Viking Soccer Head Coach John Born enters his eleventh year at North Park. Prior to coaching the Vikings, Born served four years as the Head Men’s Coach at Milwaukee School of Engineering. Born took over a North Park team that had won only one game in 1998. Under his direction, the program has had nine consecutive winning seasons, captured the first, second, and third CCIW titles in school history, achieved regional and national rankings, and produced more All-Conference and All-Region players than any other time in school history.
The Vikings’ five game improvement, in Born’s first year, represented the sixth biggest leap of any Division III soccer program in the nation. In 2001 the Vikings came within a game of capturing their first-ever CCIW title. In 2002 the North Park men went undefeated in a preseason trip to Sweden, where they faced top Swedish clubs. In 2004 the Vikings exploded to the top and finally won their first championship, ending Wheaton College’s string of nine straight CCIW titles. Born’s overall coaching record entering the 2009 season is 131-96-16, his North Park record is 102-60-16. He has been named Coach of the Year in the CCIW (2004 and 2005) and the Lake Michigan Conference (1996).
At Milwaukee School of Engineering, Born showed his ability to lift a program from the depths. Born started at MSOE with a team that finished 1-12-1 in his first season, and steadily built the program. Displaying marked improvement over a four-year stretch, Born’s 1998 team posted a 13-5-2 record in his final season at MSOE.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Born earned a Bachelor’s degree from Concordia University of Wisconsin and a Master of Science degree from the University of Richmond. While playing on a nationally ranked NAIA team at Concordia, Born was honored as a team captain, team M.V.P. All-Lake Michigan Conference, All-Midwest Region, and All-American Scholar Athlete.
In addition to his college coaching experience, Born has coached at the club and high school level and continues to work various summer camps throughout the country. Outside of coaching he has many other responsibilities within the athletic department as he is also the Associate Athletic Director at North Park. He and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Chicago.