Story originally published in the Fall 2009 issue of Old Main Line, a magazine published for members of the Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association.


In 1969, soccer was a newer sport in collegiate athletics. Opportunities for aspiring players were few and far between. But that year became a pivotal one for a young freshman from Vandalia, Ohio.

That year, Eastern's men's soccer team won the NAIA national championship, and that year, freshman midfielder Schellas Hyndman got to experience a national championship for the first time. It would not be his last.

“Back then, it was great to win, but I didn't know how hard it really was to win a championship,” Hyndman said. “Now, however, I know how special a championship win is.”

Forty years later, as one of the most successful coaches in college soccer, and now as a head coach in Major League Soccer, it's no wonder Hyndman understands what it takes to get to a championship. 

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