NSCAA Hall of Fame To Induct Julius "Julie" Menendez
(MISSION, KS) - The National Soccer Coaches Association of America has announced that Julius "Julie" Menendez will become the 34th member of the NSCAA Hall of Fame. Menendez will be recognized at the Honor Award Banquet held at the 53rd Annual Convention in Baltimore, Md., on Friday, Jan. 14, 2000.
Julie Menendez is an internationally-known, legendary soccer and boxing coach. After a Golden Gloves and professional boxing career, Menendez began his tenure at San Jose State University. He graduated magna cum laude in 1950 and shortly after began his coaching career. In 1952 he became assistant boxing coach and the following year he was named head coach. Also an assistant professor in the physical education department, Menendez was named the soccer coach in 1953.
Early on, the bulk of Menendez's success came from the boxing ring. He led San Jose to three consecutive NCAA Boxing Championships from 1958 through 1960. While coaching, he had 12 Spartans who won NCAA individual titles and 15 who were Pacific Coast Intercollegiate champions. His success as a boxing coach led to his appointment as the team coach for the 1960 United States Olympic Games squad. While in Rome, three members of his team won gold medals, including Cassius Clay, later known as world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali.
Menendez's 36-year soccer coaching reign began in 1954. It was then that he began building the San Jose State soccer program into a regional and national powerhouse. The Spartan program produced 23 All-America players and were a fixture in the NCAA Soccer Tournament during the late '60's and '70's. Upon retirement in 1989, he had amassed a coaching record of 295-175-45 and had taken teams to both the quarterfinals and semifinals of the NCAA National Tournament. His 1978 team compiled a 17-3 record, the most wins ever by a San Jose State team.
Menendez made U.S. Olympic history in 1976 as the first and only person to become a head coach of two different Olympic sports teams. After serving as the assistant coach for the 1972 U.S. Olympic soccer team, he was named the head coach of the 1976 squad.
Menendez is also known for bringing soccer to the Santa Clara Valley. In 1967 he played an instrumental role in developing soccer in that area. To keep in contact with the game, he has given his time through coaching clinics, advising and being a color commentator on radio and television.
Among his many coaching accomplishments, Menendez also has been recognized through a variety of honors. The city of San Jose and the state of California have both honored him many times by issuing various governmental resolutions in his name. In 1984 he received the NSCAA Honor Award, in 1976 he was inducted into the California Hall of Fame, in 1971 he was inducted into the Santa Clara County Athletic Hall of Fame and in 1969 he received the Recognition Award from the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
In connection with national teams and sports clinics, Menendez has traveled to 30 countries, coaching and working as a consultant. Included among his travels are Italy, Greece and Israel.
The NSCAA, with its national office based in Mission, Kan., is the largest single-sport coaching organization in the United States with more than 15,000 members. Founded in 1941, the NSCAA provides educational clinics, academies and seminars. It publishes the Soccer Journal (a bimonthly national soccer education journal) and offers diploma courses in all 50 states. The NSCAA, which is dedicated to promoting the game of soccer and to the education of coaches, holds an annual convention that is attended by more than 3,000 coaches from the United States and several foreign countries.
Service to NSCAA members includes various NSCAA/adidas All-America teams, the NSCAA/adidas Coach of the Year program, the boys and girls NSCAA/adidas High School Rankings program, the NSCAA/adidas College Rankings and a professional liability insurance program. Locate the NSCAA on-line at www.NSCAA.com