John Basalyga is in his eighth season on the bench for the Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team. He boasts a collegiate coaching record of 96-37-16 and has twice been named the Regional Coach of the Year.
Last season, the Norse boss led the team to a 15-6-2 record and a fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament, where NKU battled second-ranked Drury to a 1-0 loss in the first round.
In 2008, Basalyga set a new standard for excellence in NKU soccer, taking the Norse to the Division II National Semifinal after claiming a third straight Midwest Region championship. The Norse finished with a 16-3-4 overall record and two of the team’s three seniors graduated as All-Americans, while sophomore Steven Beattie was named the Division II National Player of the Year.
In 2007, Basalyga made Great lakes Valley Conference history, coaching the Norse to an unprecedented 13-0 conference record, as well as the school’s second consecutive Great Lakes Region title. The Norse rattled off 20-straight wins en route to a 22-2 final record, both school records. The dominating performance earned Basalyga his second consecutive GLVC and Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year awards.
In 2006, Basalyga led the Norse to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament, and won the Great Lakes Region championship as the No. 2 seed. The squad matched a school record with 16 wins, and posted a NKU-best .795 winning percentage on the year.
In 2005, Basalyga’s NKU squad pulled off a first-round upset of third-seeded Wisconsin-Parkside in the opening round of the GLVC Tournament. It marked the first time since 1997 that NKU had won a game in the GLVC Tournament. The Norse, who entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed, finished with an 11-8-2 record.
Basalyga led NKU to one of the nation’s top turnarounds in 2004, as the Norse posted a 12-6-2 overall record while posting a 6-3-1 in the GLVC. Basalyga’s team also featured 2004 GLVC Player of the Year Nate Madden.
During his first season at the helm, Basalyga guided a youthful NKU squad to a 4-9-3 overall record, including a 2-5-3 mark in the GLVC. In his coaching debut at NKU in 2003, Basalyga led his team to a 4-2 win over NCAA Division II power University of Findlay.
Prior to accepting the NKU job, Basalyga compiled a 325-93-58 record as boys’ soccer coach at Turpin High School in Cincinnati over the course of 24 years. He led Turpin to Ohio state championships in 1986, 2000 and 2001, and his teams produced 22 consecutive winning seasons
He also led the Spartans to 15 sectional championships and was named the Ohio High School State Coach of the Year in 2001.
Basalyga is a 1973 graduate of Bowling Green State University. He earned four letters in baseball at Bowling Green. He also played ice hockey for three years and competed in soccer for one season at Bowling Green.
Basalyga and his wife, Linda, reside in Cincinnati. They have three children. His daughter, Lindsay Basalyga, is the women’s soccer head coach at Eastern Kentucky University.
