Feb. 16, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - Michael Kunert, head coach of the men's soccer team at Northwestern for the past 19 years, announced today he will resign effective at the end of February.
"Mike Kunert has served Northwestern well for 19 years," said athletic director Rick Taylor. "I'm sorry, both personally and professionally, to see him resign from coaching at NU."
Kunert led the 'Cats to their first-ever Big Ten Tournament win with a 1-0 victory over Wisconsin in 1999. That year also marked the first time NU has won two regular-season Big Ten matches and placed three players on the All-Big Ten team.
NU's best finish under Kunert was in 1988 when the 'Cats finished with a school-best 14-4-1 record. That squad ran off eight straight victories to close out the year and broke the school record of 10 wins in a season. The 'Cats also won 10 games in 1985 and 1987 under Kunert.
Kunert, 58, was active with the German National Team at the 1994 World Cup. Prior to that, he coached the Midwest Regional Team from 1985-87, from which candidates for the U.S. National Team were chosen. He also served six years as head coach for the Chicago Northshore American Youth Soccer Organization and for four years was a coach at the Chicago Sting summer camp. Kunert was a Northwestern assistant in 1981 before succeeding Bob Krohn in 1982.
A native of Berlin, Germany, Kunert played three years for Hertha BC, a top-division team based in his hometown. During his seven-year service in the U.S. Army, he played for an all-star team while stationed in Europe.
Kunert earned his B.A. from Loyola (Ill.) University in 1970 and concluded his graduate work at Northwestern (M.A. and Ph.D.) in 1972. He and his wife, Louise, have two sons, Mark and Kurt. Kurt lettered four years (1988-91) while playing for his father at NU. The Kunert family resides in Libertyville, Ill.