Brad Hauter - The Exit & Entrance Interview

2022 - Brad at game against Grinnell (Page Cotton on far left)
Photo Credit: Striggo Photography

In the fall of 1993, I received a letter from Page Cotton, the coach of DePauw University's men's soccer team asking me to consider the university, and to consider trying out for the team. While I did, ultimately, attend the university, I did not play for Coach Cotton; at least not for the university's varsity team. I did, however, take a health class with Coach Cotton where I received credit for playing soccer. I mean, I had to pay tuition for the class, but as someone who played soccer nearly their entire life, it was the easiest class I took that semester. Plus, I was able to be "coached" by Coach Cotton. 

I tell that story because the list of DePauw men's soccer coaches is a very short list. In 1966, Charles P. Erdmann started the program and coached for three years. The DePauw natatorium now bears his name as he was the swimming coach, as well as the baseball and tennis coach during his tenure. So he was an important figure in the University. In 1969, a 22-year old Page Cotton served as head coach while Mr. Erdmann was on sabbatical and proceeded to stay in the position (among others) for the next 39 years. When Coach Cotton retired in 2008, one of his former players took over the reigns. 

In the nearly 30 years since I first received that letter from Coach Cotton, I have known just two head coaches at my alma mater. Later this month, the University will begin the process of hiring just their fourth men's soccer coach as Brad Hauter steps down from his role that was passed down to him from Coach Cotton as DPU head coach and begins a new role as Vice President of Marketing & Club Growth at Indy Eleven. Brad has always been very helpful to me in learning the game from an on-field and off-field perspective, and has also been free with his time on this site, having participated in both my Soccer Life series and the Top 5 series. After he was announced as leaving DePauw and joining the Indy Eleven front office staff, I asked Coach Hauter if we could reflect on his transition from DePauw to Indy Eleven. The below questions and article serves as the Game Beckons' Exit & Entrance Interview of Brad Hauter. 

You Say Goodbye

Game Beckons: What is your memory of your first game as a player at DePauw University? 
Brad Hauter: It was against nationally ranked OWU [Ohio Wesleyan University] at their place. I was the back up for opening weekend to a Junior. He missed the bus and I started the next weekend and held the spot until I graduated. Humbling to get your first start because someone missed the bus, and you can't pick your opportunities, but you can make the most of them. 

Brad would take that opportunity and would become:

"a four-year starting goalkeeper and two-time MVP. The Tigers compiled a 44W-16L-4D record in his four seasons including a 15-1-1 mark in 1986 for a school-record .912 winning percentage. That season, Hauter finished with a 0.61 goals against average and allowed just 10 goals and recorded a school-record 12 shutouts. He totaled 33 shutouts in his career." 

GB: What is your memory of your first game as a coach at DPU?
BH: Excitement. [It] was an amazing honor to take over after Page. A 2-0 win [against Holy Cross]. We did not have a natural scorer and just had to grind out goals, so a 2-0 win was a surprise.  

Brad and Page Cotton in 2010
Photo Credit: Striggo Photography

Not counting this season, which is ongoing, Brad rode that first win to a 15-year career and a 154W-62L-35D record (entering this season). During his tenure, his teams have never had a losing record or a negative goal differential, with the closest to either of those things happening was the 2017 season, when the team finished 6-6-4 and a +1 GD. The two seasons prior to that anomaly, DPU made it to the NCAA Division III Championship, where the 2015 squad made it to the round of 16. 

When you have that kind of success, even at a Division III level, players can and will get noticed by professional teams. Indy Eleven fans know about Adrian Ables, who was a 2016 DPU graduate and a 4-year letter winner; as well as Nate Sprenkel who was a 2012 DPU graduate and a 3-year letter winner, and was the 2nd player announced (or 3rd player if your Baba Omosegbon's family) in Indy Eleven club history. However, they aren't the only ones. 

"Tony Halterman, Keagan Angevin, and Jay Klein were others that played pro. Keagan and Jay played in NISA for New Jersey, and Keagan also played for Napa Valley in NISA and was on the first USL Two team in Fort Wayne. We had a couple guys get small offers to play PDL Pro, but the job [offer] out of DePauw was too good." 

That will sometimes happen with a good education.

GB: What do you hope your players have learned from you?

BH: There are a few things I am unbending on: character, work ethic, and accountability. Hopefully they lived that as part of the program and will carry it forward. 

Work ethic. From a guy that has what seems like 20 jobs. Makes sense.

GB: What was it like being able to coach, and coach with, your son Christian Hauter (DPU class of 2020, 3-year letter winner, and spent time as an assistant coach under Brad)?

BH: It was a great experience and incredible opportunity to continue to be involved in his development as a player and a man. Plus we survived it and have a great relationship. 

GB: What do you think you are going to miss most about coaching at DPU?
BH: Working with the players on and off the field. This is a unique time, and this generation has more challenges than any generation prior. The ability to listen and be a sounding board for players will be the thing I will miss the most. 

Photo Credit: Striggo Photography

GB: As just the third head coach in DPU's program history, after taking the reigns from Page Cotton, what do you hope the university finds in the fourth head coach in program history? Have you offered advice on your potential successor?

BH: Good question. I hope the next individual can elevate the program another notch, be in the role for a number of years, and be a good fit for the players. DePauw does a great job in their searches and this will be a highly sought after job. I am confident they will find the best fit and they do not need any guidance from me.

GB:As an alum and soon-to-be former coach of DPU, how involved do you see yourself in the future?

BH: I will be a fan for life and a massive cheerleader. 

As a fellow DPU alum, it makes me happy that the men's soccer program has been able to have such consistency in that role for the past 53 years. The soccer program has been coached by good men who led by example and only wanted the best for their players, on and off the field. As Coach Hauter stated, I'm sure that the University will hire someone who will do a great job, but they have some very large shoes to fill.

And I Say Hello 

Over the years, there have been DePauw connections to Indy Eleven. Obviously, there were the players Sprenkel and Ables. There's my personal connection. There are, and have been, others who are graduates or had a connection to DePauw, like Senior Director of Ticket Sales Mike Henn, Drew Donovan, who was the Corporate Partnerships Manager, Guy-Jo Gordon who had worked at DePauw prior to his time with Indy Eleven, and Nipun Chopra who is now an assistant professor at DePauw, but was an early grassroots media contributor of Indy Eleven. Just to name a few. DePauw isn't a very big school, but its alumni are continuing to find ways to put their stamp on the World's Game and Indiana's Team. Brad will officially take over his role with Indy Eleven once his season with DePauw comes to an end. If the team is unable to make the postseason, that last game will be a home game on Saturday October 29th at 2:30 P.M., at which point Brad will officially begin his day-to-day duties as Indy Eleven's Vice President of Marketing & Club Growth. 

GB: What exactly does that title mean? Are there metrics to know whether you're successful other than more season tickets? Before you are able to dig into the historical data on what has worked or not, what preliminary ideas do you have to try to achieve club growth?

BH: Titles are interesting to me; coach, assistant coach, VP, etc. Irrelevant in my mind. I get to join an amazing club, and in that capacity I see my role strengthening the club in a variety of areas. Season tickets and attendance are traditional metrics, but I want to see this club grow in EVERY capacity; on the field, in the community, in fan engagement, etc. I have a number of initiatives I want to bring to life that are a blend of my soccer, entertainment, and marketing experiences. Ideas that I believe will separate us from every professional club in the US. It's a heavy lift, but I'm excited. I believe the eyes of the US soccer world will be on Indy in 2023! 

As to be expected with a professional sports team, Indy Eleven has had front office staff that were players, some at a fairly high level, including Employee #1, Molly Kruger. However, I believe Brad is the first front office person with significant professional player AND coaching experience. 

GB: How do you think that will benefit you in your role and how will it benefit the club?

BH: I didn't think about that. Interesting. I think it will be a great benefit to me in this role in that it provides me perspective from a variety of angles. The benefit to the club is that my life has been spent being involved in all levels of soccer, and as we work to make Indy Eleven the premier club in the United States, those relationships and experiences are invaluable. 

GB: How involved do you hope to be in helping shape the new stadium to facilitate current fans and grow the club?

BH: I have 100% trust in the team [that has been] put together to layout, design, and bring this stadium to life. Facilitating fans, fan experiences, and club growth have been a foundational part of the discussions. I'll be involved as needed, but in all honesty the team assembled is amazing and needs no help from me.

GB: You seem to do a good job of being engaged with Indy fans and the grassroots media on social media. How do you hope to continue that & use those outlets to help grow the club?

BH: The tv show we have produced for the last 8 years [Coop Dreams, and 7 years of Junk'd before that] started with no fans and no social media followers. We grew the fans and followers to around 200,000 in that time. We did it through honest engagements and connections many of which were on social media. The lessons learned over the last 8 years are invaluable here. 

Photo Credit: Don Thompson

GB: What do you want fans to know about your transition from college coach and color commentator to VP of Marketing & Club Growth (and color commentator...)?

BH: I have had the fortune to wear a number of hats in my life that I fully believed were all a part of preparing me for this role. At the heart of it... I am an Indy soccer guy! 

• I worked camps and clinics with the families that started and grew soccer in Indiana, 
• I played my club ball in Indy,
• I played my high school soccer in Indy,
• I played my college ball near Indy, and 
• Part of my pro career had me playing in Ft Wayne and Indy.

Additionally, 22 of my 28 years as a college coach were spent here in Indiana. As a kid, I grew up watching the Indy Daredevils on a black and white TV dreaming of one day becoming a pro player. For a kid in Indy in the late 70's and early 80's, playing pro was a dream with no path on how to get there. What Indy Eleven has done, for boys and girls in Indy, is to create a path for them to fulfill their dreams. I am forever indebted to Indy soccer as it has shaped EVERY single part of who I am. The drive I have to grow this club and its involvement in this community is incredible. I feel blessed and humbled to have this opportunity and cannot wait to get started.

Awhile back, I wrote about how the game was beckoning me. In that article, I described a passage from Gwendolyn Oxenham's book Finding the Game, from when they were in Italy talking to a writer, Cristiano, who read from his book and then helps them to understand his meaning. As I re-read Brad's responses to my questions, it felt like the passage that I enjoyed has been a theme of Brad's life too. As a reminder, here is the passage (emphasis mine):

"He pours us grappa and translates the meaning, hands gesturing, "It is a story about an old man who imagines what he'll say to his grandson...that there is a god for the soccer fields, a kind of magic. Not the big ones - the small ones in the provinces." Head cocked to the side, he smiles, shyly like he's telling us something personal, emotional: "Soccer will give you much more than you can give it."

Based upon Brad's involvement in soccer in Indiana, from player to coach to color commentator to his newest role with Indy Eleven, it feels like Brad has embarked on an endless quest to return as much to soccer as it has given him. His next step is to try and grow the game and Indy Eleven. Literally. It's his job title.

"My last 3-4 decades have been spent in soccer and brand building. When I saw the [Indy Eleven job] posting, it was the first time in my life these two worlds have connected. As an Indy guy, I’m passionate about building opportunities for kids in this state and Indy Eleven has a deep desire to grow the game throughout the state. Having a V.P. of Marketing & Club Growth that has been immersed in Indiana soccer for 4 decades and has been involved with national brands for the past 25 years, [the position] simply spoke to me." 

As a DePauw graduate, I'm disappointed that Brad will be stepping down from his head coaching position where he has led a very successful program over the past 15 seasons. However, as he stated in his interview with Greg Rakestraw on Soccer Saturday and above to me, the concept of his new position at Indy Eleven seems ideally suited for him and his past experiences. 

I look forward to seeing what ideas he has, and how they will begin to materialize once he gets started.

DePauw vs Franklin at Carroll Stadium

This past Wednesday, I was able to bug out of work early to be able to watch the DePauw Men's soccer team take on Franklin College at Carroll Stadium prior to the Indy Eleven vs North Carolina FC game that evening. With a 3:30 start time, attendance was a little light, but fully engaged. At least for the first 20 minutes, at which point the DePauw Tigers had put three goals on the board thanks to a brace from senior Taras Tataryn and a goal from fellow senior Peter White. Junior Justin Mitchell added a fourth goal in the 63rd minute before Franklin College's Luke Oliver put the visitors on the board with a penalty kick in the 79th minute.

The final statistics indicate that the Tigers outshot the Grizzlies 26 to 10, but the majority of Franklin's shots came in the second half, after the result of the game was well in hand for the Tigers. DePauw was completely dominant. While official stats aren't kept on time of possession, my best guess puts it at around 70/30 in the first half, maybe even more lopsided. The second half brought the numbers closer together as DePauw slightly took their foot off the gas, but still maintained the majority of possession. DePauw's players moved the ball well between each other and were able to put 11 of their 26 shots on frame forcing Franklin's goalkeepers Beldon and Byrd into 7 saves.

Not only was DePauw dominant in their performance, though not perfect as evidenced by the 79th minute penalty kick, but they did it while rotating players in and out. By my count, 31 different Tigers found their way onto the field, including 4 different goalkeepers. Despite the frequent changes, there wasn't a significant affect on their play. The team seamlessly integrated guys as they entered and exited and maintained their constant pressure on the Grizzlies. Some of that may be attributed to having superior talent than the Grizzlies who are struggling to find wins, but it's not easy to

You may be asking about how DePauw was able to play 31 players. Well, if you saw my interview with DePauw Head Coach Brad Hauter in May, DePauw started a reserve squad this year and Coach Hauter brought everybody. Talking briefly with him afterwards (he had to quickly change hats from coach to Indy Eleven color commentator) , he indicated that they don't normally travel with such an extensive roster, but given the unique experience of playing in Michael Carroll Stadium, he felt it was important to bring the house. Like any good coach, he still found issues with the way his team played, particularly the focus towards the end of the game when his team was up by four that contributed to the penalty kick.

One last thing to note. The DePauw men's team has an official full roster of 38 men. During the entirety of the match, the entire roster stood watching the game. Coach Hauter indicated to me that the coaches want the players to remain engaged in the game, but that it is not at the coaches direction that the players stand. A few season's ago, the seniors decided to take a more active role in the leadership of the team than their predecessors, and they instituted the standing requirement. It has remained a part of the team. It was a good example of how leadership with a soccer team doesn't just come from the coaching staff, but from the players too.

The team has had mixed results this season, but it was all working Wednesday afternoon in Indianapolis.

Photos courtesy of Don Thompson:

DePauw University Men's Soccer - Incoming Freshman

Over the past couple weeks, the DePauw University Men's Soccer team's Twitter account has been highlighting and welcoming in the incoming freshman players. First there were six announcements on May 8th, then another seven announcements on May 9th. At that point, with 13 new players to replace the outgoing 12 seniors, I fully expected that to be the extent of the announcements. However, over the next few days, another 13 guys were announced to be joining the team. With my interest fully piqued as to why Coach Hauter was bringing in that many guys, I reached out to DePauw's Athletic Communications office, as well as Head Coach, and friend of the site, Brad Hauter for more information. 

What I found out was that the original intent, as late as January, was to have a group of about 10 incoming freshman. There are now 27 incoming freshman being brought on to help develop the younger players (I didn't follow-up with why one of the players wasn't included in the Twitter introductions). Seems counter-intuitive, right? Bring on a couple dozen young guys to help develop other young guys? Well, it makes perfect sense if you're starting a reserve squad, which is exactly what DePauw is doing this year.

Game Beckons: "Other than helping the younger players develop, what precipitated the addition of the reserve team? How many expected games?"
Brad Hauter: "That is really the primary reason... I believe in a large roster for depth and competitive energy but the guys towards the bottom are there because they need time to develop... Once we get into the season there are few opportunities for them to grow... This will give them 6-8 matches to showcase themselves and to get needed game minutes."

GB: "How long did it take to get the reserve team going? 
BH: "We had one back about 4 years ago but didn't have the budget to run it... I've been working on the budgeting since then and finally have it set."

GB: "Who do you anticipate that team playing? Do other NCAC schools have reserve squads or will you have to expand beyond the conference for games for them?" 
BH: "Other teams with large rosters (They may not have a reserve team - Centre, Manchester, Wabash), as well as club teams at ISU and IU."

GB: "Will you be coaching both squads or will a new assistant cover the reserve squad?"
BH: "I will be at each but will have our assistant coaches coach so that they can also get 'game minutes'.

Coach Hauter further added that he fully expects 75% of the incoming freshman to really compete for spots on the first or second teams and at least 6 or 7 of them to make an immediate impact. He was careful to not provide any indication to me on which players those might be, but doing a little research on the guys on Hudl and wherever else I could find highlight videos (see Collin Davidson's Hudl site for an extensive highlight reel), I can understand his enthusiasm and optimism. 

Last year's roster was listed as having 31 guys, which then lost 12 of those to graduation. The roster that Coach Hauter provided to me looks like he has also added some upperclassmen to the roster to go with the incoming freshman because this coming year's roster stands at 53 players. Almost half of that roster are midfielders and nearly 75% of the roster comes from Indiana, Illinois, or Ohio. The breakdown of the incoming freshman is even more heavily weighted on those three states with almost 90% of the freshman coming from those states. Given that "95% of our roster comes from our camp system," it's not surprising that the roster is Midwest heavy. The freshman class has a slight edge towards defenders, but just barely. The thing that surprises me most about Coach Hauter's roster is that there are only 5 forwards and 5 goalkeepers on the 53 man roster, with two each being freshman. I can understand only having a couple goalkeepers for each squad, but it would seem like both teams would need to have more forwards in case of injuries.

One of those incoming freshman goalkeepers is Coach Hauter's son, Christian. Christian is one of a couple players where I found football Hudl sites, as Christian was a kicker for Marshall High School. His future teammate, outside back Kyler Schaetzle, was also a kicker for his high school team. Only Christian is considering doing both soccer and football, but Coach Hauter has indicated Christian is going to focus on soccer this season, so he won't be losing any guys to the football team this year. However, Christian's highlight reel shows him kicking field goals two years ago from 47 yards out so he definitely has the leg to play for the football team if he chooses to do so later. Coach Hauter also expects that a few guys may run track, but in general it sounds like he has some good athletes coming to play for him. For example, Butoyi Anaclet out of Mather High School in Chicago, is a top 10 wrestler in Illinois in his weight class, but chose to play soccer.

Welcome to DePauw fellas and I look forward to hopefully catching some games this fall to see you in action. For the Indianapolis area soccer fans who read this site, head out to Greencastle in the fall to catch a game in a nice new soccer (and other sports) stadium and enjoy a beautiful campus about an hour's drive away. Stick around afterwards and get some dinner at Marvin's. Go with the Garlic Cheese Burger (GCB) and cheese fries. Trust me. 


The following is a summary of the DePauw graphics used on Twitter for the guys:

Butoyi Anaclet - Midfielder

Grady Bruch - Midfielder

Sam Burns - Midfielder

Nick Celona - Defender

Bralin Coleman - Defender

Bennett Curtis - Defender

Collin Davidson - Goalkeeper

Jackson Grabill - Defender

Connor Hamerle - Defender

Christian Hauter - Goalkeeper

Will Jacob - Midfielder

Jonah Jerabek - Midfielder

Ryan Kupiec - Defender

Anh Le - Defender

Zack Leech - Defender

Jake Limauro - Midfielder

Carlos Martinez - Defender

Brandon McInerney - Defender

Philip Mierzwa - Forward

Alec Pipkin - Midfielder

Peter Reuling - Forward

Franklin Rodriguez - Defender

Joe Scanlon - Midfielder

Kyler Schaetzle - Defender

Flynn Sheehan - Midfielder

Edward Velez - Defender

The Indy Eleven and DePauw connection

I took a long way around to get my college education.  I finished at Purdue University where I obtained a degree in civil engineering after taking a ton of courses over a two year period, including a class and its prerequisite at the same time.  The three years before that I started out at a small liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana called DePauw University.  I took a ton of classes there too because I was part of the school's 3-2 program.  In essence, 3 years of classes at DePauw where you get to take all of the classes that students who go straight to Purdue would never even think of taking and then 2 years at an engineering school (Purdue in my case even though they weren't officially part of the program then but agreed to the transfer) where you shove as many engineering courses into your schedule as you can humanly stand.  At the end of this 5 year trek, you receive a Bachelor of Arts from DePauw and a Bachelor of Science from Purdue.

I give you that background, because DePauw is also where my soccer playing days officially ended.  I had some intramural games at Purdue, but for all purposes, I was no longer a "player" after the first day of tryouts my freshman year.  That first day I had the worst time playing soccer I had ever remembered and I quit the tryout the next day.  It's not something I remember fondly, because I wish I had at least stuck it out to see what would happen.  I don't know if I would have made the team, but the one time that I can remember really quitting on something has kind of haunted me in the following two decades.  I missed it so much that I would take my ball out into the courtyard at 9:00 at night and juggle by myself or kick it off the buildings to myself.  I also took a soccer class that year taught by Coach Cotton, who was the coach of the team at the time, and so members of the soccer team routinely joined the "classes."  What I realized during those classes was that I was not getting destroyed by those guys and held my own most of the time.  So I'll never know.

But I digress...

When you go to Purdue and graduate with an engineering degree, you expect that you will frequently encounter other Purdue grads in your day-to-day job, especially if you remain in the Midwest.  When you go to DePauw and work using an engineering degree from another school, you expect that you will periodically see a DePauw grad, but likely only through license plates during your daily commute.  As the Indy Eleven started taking shape in its inaugural season, I became more and more surprised at how often my alma mater was represented.  As the second player signed (or third depending on whose family you ask), the Indy Eleven had selected Nathan Sprenkel to be a backup goalkeeper.  Sprenkel was a 2012 graduate of DePauw and:

A psychology major at DePauw, during his senior season Sprenkel earned second team all-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in addition to being named the North Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and garnering all-NCAC first team honors. He also was the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 in addition to earning all-SCAC and all-Great Lakes Region first team honors.

Sprenkel is now an assistant coach for the men's soccer team at DePauw.

Then I saw that the team's front office had not one, but two people with DePauw connections. Director of Community Relations, Guy-Jo Gordon's "recent experience also includes time as both the Annual Fund Assistant Director and Coordinator of Alumni of Color Programs at DePauw University..."

Joining him was Director of Ticket Sales, Mike Henn.  "After graduating from DePauw University in Greencastle with a Communications degree, Henn spent a year in local radio before joining the Indiana Pacers as an Account Executive in 1981."

The season started and I noticed that the color commentator on television for the Indy Eleven games was Brad Hauter.  Brad was "a 1987 DePauw University graduate" who "returned to his alma mater in 2008 to take over for veteran coach, Page Cotton, who resigned after 39 seasons. Hauter...is just the third men's soccer coach in the program's history."

Even before I started writing this blog, I was aware that there was another, far better, soccer writer who was discussing the Indy Eleven with the Eleventh Heaven blog.  Turns out that the Eleventh Heaven site was started by Doug Starnes, who just happens to be the assistant women's soccer coach at DePauw.

I fully expected to see Indiana University grads and players within the Indy Eleven team and fan base given its proximity and historical success and that has happened.  While DePauw is a great school and has always had a good soccer program, it still amazes me to see so many connections to the university throughout the Indy Eleven world.  Over the course of this past week, I have become aware that my DePauw brethren are a big part of the Indy Eleven team and fan base.  In what has been the best rebuttal to date of the Indy Star's Erica Smith's opinion piece (I link it for completeness, don't go read it...trust me) about the proposed Indy Eleven stadium, I became aware of Nipun Chopra.  Nipun followed up his written words with a podcast interview of Peter Wilt and it turns out that Nipun is a 2006 graduate of DePauw University and is now working on his PhD in neuroscience.

I don't know how many more DePauw connections I'm going to find in the Indy Eleven universe, but I'm going to keep looking.  From civil engineers, research into Alzheimer's Disease, or just the nuts and bolts of your favorite soccer team, my experiences so far have reminded me that even small universities can have a big impact on your world.

Come On You Boys In Blue!

A Toast To DePauw
Written by Vivien N. Bard '17

To Old DePauw we toast today,
And raise our voices high
We'll honor thee and loyal be
And praise thee to the sky.

Let ev'ry son and daughter stand
United e'er for thee,
And hail Old Gold throughout the land,
Here's to you, Old DePauw.