Soccer: Former Panther rejoins coaching staff

The Pitt men’s soccer team pulled its new assistant coach directly from the history… The Pitt men’s soccer team pulled its new assistant coach directly from the history books.

Chris Karwoski, a former Pitt assistant from 1993-97, rejoins the Pitt staff after spending 11 years as Western Michigan University’s head coach. At Pitt, Karwoski and Pitt coach Joe Luxbacher guided the Panthers to an average of 10 wins per season, including a No. 22

ranking and a school-best 14 wins in 1995.

“It’s a big plus for our program. He is a good man and a very good coach,” Luxbacher said. “We worked together, we have similar philosophies and we had a great time. We had a lot of success when he was here before, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Karwoski said he always loved the area and is excited to return to the city of Pittsburgh. He said he had a great experience when he coached at Pitt previously and he feels happy to have another opportunity to work with Pitt’s athletic department.

“On a personal level, I’m very happy and excited to be able to return to Joe and the men’s team,” Karwoski said. “It’s just a great place, and I’ve known that all along. On a coaching and professional level, it’s a great opportunity. I know I can help Joe and players in a lot of different ways, from training to recruiting to scouting to just general life enhancement for the guys on the team.”

Karwoski said Luxbacher and the team have a better chance of being successful with an assistant coach who can help the team from a head coach’s perspective. He said he could strengthen aspects of the team that were weak last season, while Luxbacher and he work to develop the Panthers into a Big East contender.

“The Big East is probably the top conference in the nation from top to bottom,” Karwoski said. “The competition is outstanding and the opportunities for the team and players is outstanding for us to try to get the program to another level.”

The Panthers finished the 2008 season with 7-8-3 overall record and went 3-6-2 in the Big East. They qualified for the Big East tournament, but fell to DePaul 3-1 in the first round.

Karwoski’s Division I head-coaching experience is a positive for the team, Luxbacher said, because Karwoski knows how to perform as a head coach, as well as an assistant.

At Western Michigan, Karwoski developed 22 All-Mid American Conference honorees and four All-Great Lake region players. He also had 14 Academic All-MAC selections. He was the MAC coach of the year in 2003, when he led Western Michigan to 12 wins, a MAC tournament title and the school’s first NCAA College Cup berth in history.

While in Michigan, Karwoski was also a head coach in the Kalamazoo youth soccer community. He also helped with the Michigan Olympic Development Program and American Youth Soccer Organization.

“He knows the game,” Luxbacher said. “He’s a very personable guy. I know our players will respond positively to him. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

Karwoski said although his coaching job at Western Michigan was a good one, he was straining himself trying to do the work without any assistant coaches. He said he wasn’t able to be successful on a professional or personal level.

“I was getting spread pretty thin with trying to be competitive and have a family,” Karwoski said about being the only coach. “Being an assistant coach at a major program like Pitt is not a step down from being a head coach at a mid-major school.”

And when Luxbacher called Karwoski to let him know about the job opening, Karwoski said he was happy to return to Pittsburgh and to the Pitt men’s soccer team.

“He had worked here before, so I contacted him to let him know the job is open, not really knowing whether he would be interested or not,” Luxbacher said. “It’s a big plus for our program.”

Karwoski said that his first time around, Luxbacher helped him develop from a soccer player into a soccer coach by teaching him the “ins and outs of the office.”

“He is just such a great guy and a great teacher of the game and a teacher of people,” Karwoski said. “That’s why he is such a special man himself. I know I can learn so much by coming back here.”

As for Luxbacher, he said he felt happy to have Karwoski back on staff because they work well together and understand each other. The two reached success working together in the past, and they said they hope to repeat their achievements in the future.

“I was happy for him when he left [for Western Michigan], but sorry in a sense, because we had a good thing going here,” Luxbacher said. “He had a lot of success at Western Michigan. What goes around comes around full circle, and now he’s back here, so I’m happy with it for sure.”