Soccer hires Bryan Blitz
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State soccer head coach Todd Shulenberger announced Tuesday the newest addition to the coaching staff, assistant coach Bryan Blltz. Blitz is a legend in the game as the founding coach of the Missouri soccer program, coaching the Tigers for 25 years before stepping down in 2021. Blitz will bring over 30 years of coaching experience as he reunites with coach Shulenberger who spent five years under Blitz at Missouri.
Blitz replaces associate head coach Kevin Boyd who left the program in February to take over as the head coach of Milwaukee women's soccer program.
"I am excited to announce that Bryan Blitz and his wife, Alie, will join us here at Washington State," said Shulenberger. "Bryan and I have worked together before at Mizzou when Bryan was the head coach. I spent five great years under Bryan, winning a Big 12 championship and then moving onto the SEC. Bryan and I also had the privilege to coach my director of operations here at Washington State, Jess Greer. Now he gets a chance to join myself, my staff and this Coug soccer team. Bryan is a proven winner, a tireless recruiter, and a coach that always gets everything out of his players. Welcome to Pullman, Blitz ... let's do this!"
Blitz, a 2021 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee, brings nearly 300 head coaching wins, including 254 at Missouri, to the Cougar sidelines after building his Tiger program into one of the elite soccer institutions in the Big 12 and a powerhouse in the SEC after changing conferences in 2012. In his illustrious career, Blitz has been named coach of the year four different times, first at Butler in 1995 and three times at Missouri including 2007 and 2009 in the Big 12 and finally in 2015 in the SEC.
Under his guide, the Tigers played their way into seven NCAA Tournament appearances while winning a pair of Big 12 titles, one in the regular season and one in tournament play. After moving to the SEC, Blitz again proved his mettle leading the Tigers to their highest national ranking at No. 11 in the country in 2012 while playing their way into the postseason in their first year in their new conference. They would again earn bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2016, the final tournament appearance for the Tigers under Blitz.
Throughout his long and distinguished career which began at Butler in 1991, Blitz has developed talent at every level including assisting with the U.S. Women's National Team. He has played and coached around the world including playing a year in England while in college.
Blitz is married to his wife Alie, and has four children: Connor, Abby, Madison and Oliver.