December 8, 2005

NIU Head Coach Marci Miller To Be Inducted Into St. Charles East H.S. Hall Of Fame

St. Charles, IL— Northern Illinois University women’s soccer coach Marci Miller will be inducted into the St. Charles East High School Hall of Fame in a ceremony taking place between the boys sophomore and varsity basketball games on Saturday, December 10, 2005. Miller will be one of four recipients of the Jodie Harrison Lifetime Achievement Award. Harrison was the high school athletics director from 1988-91, when he died tragically in an automobile accident returning from a girls softball game in Sycamore, IL. The award honors Harrison’s memory by inducting individuals into the Hall of Fame who share Harrison’s values, character, and dedication to St. Charles High East School athletics.

“We had an amazing list of candidates and Miller is certainly at the top,” said St. Charles East Athletics Director Jerry Krieg. “We are very proud of our soccer here, and when I look at Miller’s accomplishments it is amazing to think of how good she was.”

“Being inducted is a huge honor for me,” said Miller. “Jodie was the athletics director when I was at St. Charles. He was an awesome man and his integrity meant a lot to me. High School really shaped me, and my coaches Brett Hall and Tim Daily taught me a lot of life lessons that help me everyday in life and in coaching.”

Miller, in addition to coaching the Huskies, also plays for the Women’s United States National Team. A three-year all-state soccer player, Miller was also named to the all-state tournament teams in 1993 and 1994. Following her career at St. Charles East High School, Miller ventured north to Madison, WI, for two years at the University of Wisconsin, where she earned All-American honors while playing for the Badgers in 1995.

After two seasons with Wisconsin, Miller followed coach Greg Ryan to Southern Methodist University for her junior and senior seasons. While at SMU Miller captained the Mustangs to a WAC championship in 1996, was named WAC Player of the Year in 1996, and twice recognized as a national All-American. After finishing her career at SMU, Miller played internationally before joining the WUSA and the Atlanta Beat.

Miller just concluded her first season at the helm of the Huskie soccer program and led the Huskies to a 5-11-2 mark and has been spending her time on the road recruiting. Miller will be honored along with Melissa Caine, Roger “Buck” Drach and Ken Vanko. For further information about the Hall of Fame ceremony, contact Cheryl Fredricksen at (630) 733-4775.

(For further information, please contact Daniel Solow) -NIU-