Tim Champion became the first head coach of the Saint Louis University women's soccer team in January 1996 after the University announced the addition of the sport the previous spring. In 12 years at the helm, Champion has led the Billikens to a 148-73-22 (.654) record, two NCAA Championship appearances, a pair of Atlantic 10 Conference Championship titles and three regular-season conference crowns. The 1999 and 2004 Conference USA Coach of the Year has mentored two All-Americans, including two-time selection Courtney Hulcer, 12 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region selections and 25 players who have combined to earn 49 All-Conference honors. Additionally, the SLU program boasts eight NSCAA Scholar All-Americans, four ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans and four women's soccer conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Champion carried a 15-year career mark of 208-87-25 into the 2008 campaign. His .689 winning percentage and 208 victories rank 19th and 27th, respectively, all-time among coaches with at least 10 years as an NCAA Division I head coach. The winning percentage is 21st in the nation and the victory total is 24th among active coaches with at least five years as a Division I head coach. Saint Louis registered a 10-6-2 mark in 2007, giving the Billikens a double-digit victory total for the sixth consecutive season and the 10th time in the 12-year history of the program. After winning their second C-USA regular-season title in five years in 2004, Champion's Billikens did not miss a beat in switching to the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2005. SLU stormed to a school-record 16 wins, one better than in 2004, and posted a perfect 8-0-0 record in A-10 play to win the regular-season title. A pair of 1-0 shutouts in the A-10 Championship made Champion's squad the first women's team at SLU to earn an NCAA Championship berth. Making the national event was not enough for the Bills, who knocked off No. 18 Stanford in the first round before falling to No. 5 Santa Clara on the Broncos' home field. The 2006 squad duplicated the 2005 team's A-10 Championship title and returned to the second round of the NCAA Championship. Five Billikens garnered A-10 All-Conference accolades, and three went on to earn NSCAA All-Region honors. While the program is known nationally for its defense, SLU had three 20-point scorers in the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, all three of whom also ranked among the A-10's top 10 in points. The 2004 Billikens had six double-digit scorers, but it was the retooled defense that garnered national recognition. Saint Louis' 0.58 goals against average ranked 10th in the nation, and the Billikens' 0.59 shutout percentage was the eighth best in the country. The team's 13 shutouts matched the school record set in 2003. In 1999, just the fourth season of the program, Champion led the Billikens to the University's first outright Conference USA regular-season title. En route to the championship, the Billikens broke every single-season team record, including a 10-game unbeaten streak that wrapped up the regular season. The team's 14-3-3 overall record and 8-1-2 conference mark were bests in the program's brief history. A year later, the team surpassed its best league record with an 8-0-3 mark. Champion's 2003 squad set the school record with 13 shutouts, including two in the C-USA Championship quarterfinals and semifinals. In addition to having six All-Conference players and the conference Freshman of the Year in 1999, Champion was selected by his C-USA colleagues as Coach of the Year. He also was named Region Coach of the Year by Soccer Buzz. Two players, Trisha Underberg and Kelly Young, were named to the NSCAA All-Region first team, the first such selections in program history. Since then, 10 more Billikens have collected NSCAA All-Region honors. In 2002, Meghann Burke became the program's first NSCAA All-American and the University's first female athlete chosen in a professional draft when the WUSA's Carolina Courage selected her in the second round of the 2003 draft. Courtney Hulcer was the first of Champion's players to earn All-America honors twice as she was recognized by Soccer Buzz in 2004 and 2006. Before coming to SLU, Champion coached women's soccer at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., for two seasons and posted a 40-10-2 record. He directed the Lady Lions to the NAIA national tournament and captured the NAIA Midwest Regional championship in 1994 and 1995. A three-time NAIA Women's Midwest Collegiate Coach of the Year selection, Champion led his 1995 squad to an NAIA national runner-up finish. Before his stint at Lindenwood, Champion enjoyed seasons with Cardinal Newman College's (St. Louis, Mo.) men's and women's teams. He directed the men to the NLCAA national championship in 1981 and the women to an NAIA runner-up finish in 1984. He also was an assistant coach for the Saint Louis men's team from 1986 to 1992. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Champion has a long association with St. Louis regional youth soccer. Prior to accepting his post at Saint Louis, he compiled a 130-33-11 record over eight seasons at Nerinx Hall High School. He led Nerinx to a state championship and was named Missouri Girls' High School Coach of the Year in 1988. Champion directed Nerinx to a state runner-up finish in 1994 and made it to the state semifinals in 1995. He was named NSCAA Girls' Midwest High School Coach of the Year both seasons. Champion earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Harris-Stowe State University in 1979, a master's degree in education from Washington University in 1987 and a doctorate in higher education administration from SLU in 2006. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, Debbie, and their son, Tim.
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