Bobby Clark Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: Jordanhill College '67

Bobby Clark's formula for success and his reputation for assembling winning teams are evident after seven full seasons at Notre Dame. The charismatic and affable Irish leader has guided his teams to seven consecutive NCAA Championship appearances (a program first), a BIG EAST tournament title in 2003 and two BIG EAST regular-season crowns (2004 & 2007). Notre Dame has reached new heights within the program over the past two seasons by reaching the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time ever in 2006 and a repeat appearance in 2007.

Since coming to Notre Dame in January of 2001, Clark has engineered a great turnaround. In the two seasons prior to his arrival, the Irish suffered back-to-back losing seasons in 1999 and 2000 with a combined 15-17-5 record. Under Clark, Notre Dame is an impressive 94-38-20 (.684).

Clark's penchant for developing talent is evident in the fact that Notre Dame has produced at least three all-BIG EAST Conference selections all seven of his seasons - including eight honorees during the `03 campaign and six in `04. In addition, he has mentored five All-Americans with the Irish, including 2006 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner Joseph Lapira. Clark, a two-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, and his staff have consistently brought in nationally-ranked recruiting classes that keeps the Fighting Irish reloading instead of rebuilding. Winning has been synonymous with Clark's tenure wherever he has been. His 21-year resume has produced a glossy .686 winning percentage, a figure that has him among the top active Division I head coaches entering the '08 campaign. Clark's teams have posted a 247-101-45 mark during his coaching tenure. Prior to becoming Notre Dame's fifth head coach, he had successful coaching stints at Dartmouth and Stanford.

Regarded as one of the premier tacticians of the game, Clark has built a reputation of being a true players' coach; he's an individual who relates easily to the needs of his players both on and off the field. Clark also has shown that he is very capable of reloading talent without having his team miss a beat on the field.

Arguably the greatest season in Notre Dame history was the most recent. The 2007 campaign witnessed the Irish winning a share of their second regular-season BIG EAST title as they tied for the Blue Division championship with Connecticut. The Irish went 7-0-4 in league play and were the only BIG EAST squad to go undefeated within the conference. Notre Dame advanced to the finals of the BIG EAST tournament before falling to UConn. During the season, the Irish peaked at a program-best No. 2 in the national rankings. Notre Dame opened the '07 season with a 2-1 overtime win over top-ranked UCLA at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. That would be the first of five triumphs over ranked foes for the Irish on the year. Notre Dame garnered the 10th seed in the 2007 NCAA Championship and following a first-round bye, the Irish topped Oakland University, 2-1, at Alumni Field. A 2-0 upset victory at No. 7 Santa Clara would propel Notre Dame into the `Elite Eight'. The season would come to an end as the Irish suffered a 1-0 overtime loss at eventual national champion Wake Forest in the NCAA quarterfinals to finish with a 14-5-5 record and a No. 6 ranking in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. That marked the seventh straight season, all under Clark, in which the Fighting Irish have concluded their season ranked nationally in the top 20.

In what has become a common theme in the Clark era at Notre Dame, the Irish boasted two All-America honorees for the 2007 season. Lapira earned first-team All-America accolades for the second straight season, while fifth-year senior Ryan Miller was a second-team pick. Miller also earned the distinction of becoming the first player in program history to be named both an All-American and Academic All-American in the same year.

Lapira and Miller were also unanimous first-team all-BIG EAST selections. The duo spearheaded a group of seven Fighting Irish players that copped all-conference accolades. In addition to their all-league honors, Lapira and Miller heard their names called in the third round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft. They became the eighth and ninth Notre Dame players ever taken in the MLS draft during Clark's tenure.

The Irish ended the '06 campaign ranked sixth after compiling a 15-6-2 record and finishing third in the BIG EAST Conference's Blue Division with an 8-3-0 mark. After earning the No. 12 seed and a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame knocked off Illinois-Chicago, 1-0, in the second round before taking down defending NCAA champion Maryland, 1-0, in double-overtime. The win over the Terrapins marked the second straight season in which the Irish topped the defending national champion in postseason play.

Accolades were abundant for the 2006 Irish squad following the unprecedented success. Lapira won the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as the nation's top player according to the NSCAA. He became the first student-athlete in program history to win a national player of the year award. Lapira, who led all NCAA Division I men's players with 22 goals and 50 points, also captured player of the year honors from Soccer America along with being Notre Dame's first-ever unanimous first-team All-American.

Lapira was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while his teammate Greg Dalby was selected as the Midfielder of the Year. In all, the Irish boasted five all-conference performers. Dalby earned first-team All-America honors for the second straight season and was selected by the Colorado Rapids in the second round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) draft. Nate Norman also heard his name called as the Chicago Fire selected the midfielder in the second round.

The 2005 season presented some challenges for Clark as the Irish had to reload after losing a stellar senior class following the 2004 campaign. A difficult slate faced Notre Dame and the Irish responded with a 12-8-3 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16. The Irish had an impressive run as they posted back-to-back 2-0 shutouts in the first two rounds of the tournament. The Irish topped Western Illinois at Alumni Field and then hit the road and took down two-time defending NCAA champion Indiana. The victory over the Hoosiers marked the first time, in nine tries, that Notre Dame had ever knocked off the defending national champion.

Dalby became the first player in program history to be named a first-team All-American on three separate lists (NSCAA, Soccer Times, College Soccer News). He also was a unanimous first-team all-BIG EAST selection and a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalist. Ian Etherington joined Dalby as a first-team all-league member and Lapira was named to the third team.

In 2004, the Fighting Irish faced lofty preseason expectations despite losing key components to a squad that won the BIG EAST tournament the previous year. Notre Dame lost a valuable seven-member class, which contained five all-BIG EAST selections and 35 of the team's 38 goals in 2003, to graduation. Despite all of that, the 2004 Irish would still go on to post a 13-3-3 record that included an 11-game unbeaten streak. The squad was led by a stout defense that allowed just nine goals on the year en route to the program's first regular-season BIG EAST title with an 8-1-1 conference mark, which led to Clark and assistant coaches Brian Wiese and Mike Avery being named the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. Six members of the Irish squad earned all-BIG EAST honors, including All-American goalkeeper Chris Sawyer who received his second straight BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year award. Fellow seniors Kevin Goldthwaite and Jack Stewart joined Sawyer on the first-team all-conference team with Stewart winning the BIG EAST's Defensive Player of the Year. That trio was also selected in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft.

Clark guided the Irish as they climbed as high as No. 4 in the national polls during the '04 season before garnering the fifth-seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. A disappointing 2-1 loss to Ohio State in the second round ended the campaign for the Fighting Irish, yet the program continued to establish itself as one of the best in the nation. That trend has been evident since Clark took over the reigns in 2001 and it has not taken the Scotland-native long to steer Notre Dame to unprecedented levels.

Poised with one of the most talented teams in Notre Dame men's soccer history, Clark and his staff chose "Making History" as the team motto for the 2003 season. The Irish followed that motto perfectly, claiming the program's second BIG EAST Championship (the first under Clark), rising as high as third in the national rankings, hosting two NCAA Championship matches at Alumni Field (including a Round of 16 contest) and earning the program's highest-ever seed in the NCAA Championship (fifth overall). While the 2003 season ended with a tough luck 1-1 tie against Michigan (the Wolverines advanced 4-3 on penalty kicks), Notre Dame still enjoyed a successful run, which featured wins over both teams which appeared in the NCAA Championship game (St. John's and Indiana) during the regular season.

The outstanding season was highlighted by a memorable run through the BIG EAST Championship. The Irish, behind tournament outstanding defensive player in Sawyer, shut out all three opponents during the championship to claim the program's second conference title and first since 1996.

The Irish program also received numerous individual accolades, including All-America honors for senior forward Justin Detter and Sawyer. Eight Irish players earned all-BIG EAST honors (a school record) while Detter joined classmate Kevin Richards as the first Clark-era Irish players to be drafted into Major League Soccer.

The 2002 season saw Clark lead his team to an impressive 12-6-3 record and spend all but one week ranked in the top-25 (peaking at No. 5). The Irish ended the BIG EAST season with a final 6-3-1 mark and finished fourth in the league's final regular-season standings, but lost in the quarterfinals of the conference championship.

For the first time in school history, Notre Dame played host to an NCAA men's soccer tournament game at Alumni Field in 2002. The Irish advanced to the second round of the championship for just the second time in school history following a 3-1 victory over Akron. During the '02 campaign, Notre Dame defeated four ranked opponents and three top-10 foes. Clark's squad finished the season 20th in the final Soccer America rankings.

Clark wasted little time in bringing the Notre Dame program back into the national forefront in his first season in 2001 as the Irish earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since the 1996 campaign. Clark's squad flourished under his guidance and leadership as the Irish registered a 12-7-0 record, which marked the most successful season in five years.

He earned his sixth coach-of-the-year accolade when he was selected as the BIG EAST Coach of the Year after leading the Irish to a 7-3-0 conference mark. Notre Dame tied for second in the final regular-season standings and advanced to the semifinals of the conference championship. It marked the most wins and highest finish ever by an Irish team in seven seasons as a league member.

In addition, five players earned BIG EAST all-conference accolades, which included two first-team selections (Erich Braun and Detter). Sawyer was named to the 11-member Soccer America All-Freshman Team. Notre Dame also finished 18th in the final NSCAA and Soccer America rankings.

Prior to being named head coach at Notre Dame, Clark spent five seasons at Stanford where he produced the most successful era in the history of the Cardinal program. When he arrived on the Palo Alto, Calif., campus, he inherited a team that had produced consecutive 5-12 campaigns and had not posted a winning record in four years. In his five seasons at Stanford, Clark turned the program around, creating a consistent national powerhouse.

As Director of Soccer, Clark oversaw both the Cardinal men's and women's programs and specifically served as the head coach of the men's program. In his five seasons at the helm of the Cardinal men, Clark compiled a 71-21-12 (.740) record. Clark guided Stanford to the NCAA Tournament each of his last four years (1997-2000), and his 1998 squad was the national runner-up.

His final season with the Cardinal, the 2000 campaign, ranked as one of the most successful in Stanford history. The 18-3-1 record matched the school standard for wins in a season (tying the mark set by his '98 team). The final national rankings of fourth (Soccer America) and sixth (NSCAA) qualify as the second-highest ever at Stanford. His teams also spent two weeks ranked number one in the country, marking the first time Stanford had ever been atop a collegiate poll in men's soccer.

In 2000, the Cardinal broke nine school records and tied another, earned individual MVP honors at three in-season tournaments and saw 13 players win all-Pacific 10 accolades. Included in that number was Ryan Nelsen, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, as well as the NSCAA/adidas Collegiate Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year (he now plays for the Blackburn Rovers of the English Premier League). Another one of Clark's former Stanford players, Simon Elliott, currently plays with Fulham FC in England. In NCAA play, Clark's team defeated Cal State Fullerton and Illinois-Chicago before falling in the quarterfinals to SMU.

Clark led Stanford to its third consecutive NCAA appearance in 1999, the sixth visit to the tournament in school history. The Cardinal ended the season with a first-round NCAA loss to Santa Clara; yet with a 12-4-3 overall mark, it finished with double-digit victories for the fourth consecutive year.

The 1998 season saw Clark direct the best season in the history of Stanford soccer. Not only did the Cardinal win its first NCAA Tournament match, it advanced three steps further to the NCAA championship game (after wins against San Jose State, San Diego, Virginia and Maryland), where it fell to Indiana in the title game to finish with a number-two national ranking. The team won a school-record 18 matches, surpassing the mark of 16 wins recorded in 1978. Following the season, his son Jamie became the first Cardinal to be named an NSCAA first-team All-American.

In his first season at Stanford in 1996, Clark led the Cardinal to a 10-4-4 record, its first winning season since 1992, and was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Mountain Division Coach of the Year. The 1997 campaign was a break-out year for the program as Stanford posted a 13-5-2 record, earned its first MPSF Mountain Division title, its first top-10 ranking and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in five years. Following the 1997 season, Clark was named NSCAA Far West Region Coach of the Year and garnered MPSF Mountain Division Coach-of-the-Year honors for the second consecutive season.

Prior to arriving at Stanford, Clark compiled an impressive soccer background as both coach and player. From 1994-96 as head coach of the New Zealand National Team, he produced a 21-12-3 mark while working with the Senior Olympic, Under-20 and Under-17 squads. For his efforts, Clark was awarded the 1995 Jim McCullen Trophy, given by the New Zealand national media to the person who did the most for New Zealand soccer.

Clark began his collegiate coaching career as the head men's soccer coach at Dartmouth from 1985-93. In nine seasons, Clark compiled an 82-42-13 record (.646) and led the Big Green to three Ivy titles ('98, '90 and '92) and a pair of NCAA quarterfinal appearances. His `90 team defeated Vermont and Columbia in NCAA action before falling to eventual NCAA runner-up Rutgers. His '92 squad defeated St. John's and Seton Hall before losing to eventual champion Virginia. Clark's Dartmouth teams were ranked in the top-10 for four consecutive years, and he was twice named the NSCAA Region I Coach of the Year (1990, `92). His `90 team finished eighth in the final Intercollegiate Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.

Along with his international coaching experience in New Zealand, Clark also coached in Africa and in his native Scotland. In Zimbabwe, he was Director of Coaching with the Bulawayo Highlanders in the Zimbabwean Super League for the 1983-84 season. In Scotland, he was the Youth coach with Aberdeen F.C. in the Scottish Premier League. He was also one of the Scottish Football Association's staff coaches.

Prior to coaching, Clark enjoyed a distinguished professional career in the Scottish League. From 1962-82, he made more than 800 first-team appearances, 696 of which were with the Aberdeen Dons from 1965-1982. With the Dons, Clark won the 1970 Scottish Cup, the 1976 League Cup and the 1980 Premier League Championship. Clark, who represented Scotland at every level of professional soccer, was involved in three of Scotland's World Cup campaigns as a player in 1970, 1974 and 1978, contributing to the Scottish squad that advanced to the finals of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

Clark's success in Aberdeen is legendary. In '02, he was honored by the team as one of its top-25 members of all-time. In two Scottish off-seasons, Clark played professionally for the Washington Whips of the United Soccer Association (1967), and the San Antonio Thunder of the North American Soccer League (1976). Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Clark graduated from Jordanhill College in 1967. He and his wife Bette, have three children: Tommy, Jennifer and Jamie.

Tommy, a 1992 graduate of Dartmouth College, earned a bachelor's degree in English. He was a regional All-American while playing with the Big Green - and played professional soccer in Zimbabwe, New Zealand and New Mexico. He and his wife are graduates of the Medical School at Dartmouth. They have two children, Hugh and Annabelle. Tommy is the founder and CEO of Grassroot Soccer.

Jennifer, a 1994 Dartmouth graduate, served as an assistant for three years to former Stanford women's soccer head coach Steve Swanson. She is married to former Notre Dame assistant men's tennis coach Mike Morgan. The couple has two children, Tamhas and Rory.

The Clark's youngest son, Jamie, graduated from Stanford in 1999. A two-time All-American, he played professionally for the MLS San Jose Earthquakes and Raith Rovers in Scotland. After serving as an assistant coach under his father for two years at Notre Dame, Jamie is currently in his first year as head coach at Harvard University.