Elmar Bolowich - Head Coach - Men's Soccer Coaches

Elmar Bolowich

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
ebolowich@creighton.edu
Phone:
(402) 280-5577

Elmar Bolowich completed his eighth season with the Creighton men's soccer program as the Bluejays secured the 2018 BIG EAST Regular-Season Title.

Bolowich boasts a 115-40-17 record at Creighton. He also claims two NCAA College Cup appearances and has already climbed into second overall for most wins as the leader of the Bluejays. Overall, the Edenkoben, Germany native, owns a 395-184-57 overall mark during 30 seasons as a head coach at the Division I level.

Bolowich has guided seven of his last 11 squads to the NCAA quarterfinals or beyond, dating back to his time at the University of North Carolina. Amazingly six of those squads suffered just four or fewer losses during the year.

Creighton claimed its second BIG EAST regular-season championship and 14th overall with a 7-1-1 mark during conference play this past season. Sven Koenig earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors, Joel Rydstrand received the conference's Midfielder of the Year award, and a total of five Bluejays made the All-BIG EAST teams. Additionally, the Creighton coaching staff, under the direction of Bolowich, claimed Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Overall, the Bluejays ended the 2018 campaign with an 11-4-3 mark.

The Bluejays finished 2017 at 9-7-2, highlighted by seven wins at home, including Bolowich’s 100th during a 2-0 victory over Villanova (Sept. 23, 2017). Ricky Lopez-Espin claimed BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year before garnering United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team honors. Additionally, Lucas Stauffer made the All-Region Second Team.

Creighton ended the 2016 season in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championship, as the squad won two NCAA tournament matches for the third consecutive season. Led by BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year Ricardo Perez and NSCAA Third-Team All-American and BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Alex Kapp, the Bluejays finished 13-7-3.

After starting the season 7-1-2, the Jays fell during four of their next five games before reeling off three straight victories to earn their second trip to the BIG EAST Championship title match. Creighton dropped a 2-1 decision to Butler and finished runner-up in the conference, but received its fourth consecutive at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

During the 2015 campaign, Bolowich guided Creighton to the most wins in Division I (19) and the third-best scoring offense in the nation (2.30 goals per game). The Bluejays started the season 15-0-0, their best start since going 19-0-0 in 1993. Creighton held the No. 1 spot in the NSCAA poll for a program-best eight consecutive weeks (Sept. 8-Oct. 27).

Fabian Herbers highlighted the 2015 squad and earned runner-up in the MAC Hermann Trophy voting after leading the nation in assists with a single-season school record 17, ranked No. 1 in the country in points (47) and tied for third in goals (15). Herbers, along with teammate Timo Pitter, made the NSCAA All-America First Team. Vincent Keller also earned NSCAA Third Team All-America status.

Additionally, Herbers was honored for the second consecutive season as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, Pitter repeated as the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and Connor Sparrow was named the BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year.

Bolowich led the Bluejays to the best winning percentage in the nation at 16-3-3 (.795) in 2014. Along the way, the Jays won their first BIG EAST regular season title with a 7-1-1 mark in just their second year in the conference. Creighton’s campaign ended with the team’s third NCAA quarterfinal appearance in four seasons.

At the end of the season Herbers was named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. Herbers also claimed NSCAA All-America First Team recognition while Jose Ribas and Pitter earned spots on the NSCAA All-America Second Team. Bolowich earned distinction as the All-Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year and Sparrow earned recognition as a member of the All-Great Lakes Region Third Team.

Creighton won multiple All-BIG EAST major awards in 2014, including Bolowich, who shared Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Herbers earned a unanimous selection as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and Pitter claimed BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year laurels.

Herbers, Pitter and Ribas were unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selections, while freshman Lucas Stauffer was a unanimous selection on the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team.

In 2013, Bolowich guided the Bluejays through their inaugural season in the BIG EAST Conference and a tough non-conference slate. Creighton finished the season with a 9-9-2 overall record and a 4-4-1 mark in conference play. All nine of CU’s losses were decided by a single goal.

The Bluejays finished 7-2-1 at home in 2013. Creighton compiled four wins against Top 50 RPI teams and did not play a match against a team with an RPI below 127 throughout the entire season.

Seven Bluejays claimed spots on 2013 All-BIG EAST Teams, while Eric Miller and Zach Barnes claimed NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region honors and later were selected in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.

The Jays’ back-to-back College Cup runs in 2011 and 2012 capped five consecutive College Cup appearances for Bolowich as a head coach.

In 2012, he guided the Bluejays to a 17-4-3 record and their second consecutive appearance in a College Cup. Creighton entered the 2012 College Cup on a 14-match unbeaten streak before falling 1-0 to eventual national champion Indiana in a national semifinal.

Creighton also repeated as Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament champions. Along the way, the Bluejays tied the MVC team record for the fewest goals allowed (one) in a Valley season set by the Bluejays the previous season in 2011.

MAC Hermann Trophy finalist Jose Gomez and Andrew Ribeiro were NSCAA All-America selections and Creighton placed six student-athletes on All-MVC teams.

In 2011, Bolowich put together one of the most successful single-seasons in program history, earning a trip to the NCAA College Cup and posting a 21-2-1 record. Bolowich picked up three coaching honors following his work in 2011, earning the NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year, the Missouri Valley Conference Coaching Staff of the Year and the MLSSoccer.com Coach of the Year after leading Creighton to its first College Cup in nine years.

The Bluejays had four players earn NSCAA All-America honors at the end of 2011, with Andrew Duran, Ethan Finlay and Brian Holt named to the First Team and Greg Jordan earning a Second Team nod. Ten of 11 Bluejay starters earned MVC honors, as Creighton shared the regular-season title with a 5-1-0 mark, avenging the lone conference regular-season loss to Missouri State in the finals of the MVC Tournament.

Creighton’s 21 wins in 2011 marked the second most in a single season, just one win behind the 2000 squad’s 22 wins, while making Bolowich the winningest Creighton coach in his first year on the bench.

Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen announced the hiring of Bolowich on Feb. 9, 2011.

Bolowich joined the Bluejays following an amazing 22-year run at North Carolina, during which he helped the Tar Heels to their first national title in program history in 2001. He guided UNC to 15 NCAA Tournament appearances and four College Cups, including three consecutive trips to college soccer’s Final Four in his final three seasons in Chapel Hill. Six of his UNC teams advanced to at least the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament and three teams captured at least a share of the ACC regular-season title in addition to winning the 2000 ACC Tournament championship.

Bolowich is the winningest coach in UNC men’s soccer history, posting a 280-144-40 (.647) record during his 22 seasons in Chapel Hill. His 2001 NCAA title team finished 21-4-0; defeating Indiana in the title match. The first national title in program history was good enough to earn him National Coach of the Year honors from the NSCAA.

Bolowich, a two-time ACC Coach of the Year (2000, 2010), led his teams to ACC regular-season titles in 2000, 2009 and 2010, putting together an unbeaten mark (7-0-1) in the nation’s strongest soccer conference in 2010.

Over his final three years at UNC, the Tar Heels played in the College Cup each season, and posted a 47-14-9 (.736) record. His 2008 team finished as the national runner-up, while the 2009 and 2010 teams fell in the national semifinals. His teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals six times in his final 11 years at North Carolina. Combined with two at Creighton, Bolowich is one of only two active coaches in NCAA Division I soccer to lead his program to six College Cup appearances (Maryland’s Sasho Cirovski has eight).

In both 2000 and 2001, he was named the NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year, and in 1999, he was given the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association National Merit award, which is given annually to one college coach whose reputation is recognized by soccer officials as praiseworthy and reflective of the highest standards of professional and ethical behavior.

His remarkable run at North Carolina included 20 NCAA Tournament wins, 16 more than the program had in the 42 years of soccer before his arrival. He also coached 14 individuals who earned a combined 21 NSCAA All-America honors, including a trio of All-Americans in 2010. His players garnered 28 ACC First Team honors and he coached five ACC Rookies of the Year.

Bolowich not only produces winning collegiate teams, but he has a proven track record of developing young men into international and professional players. Twenty-one players who were coached by Bolowich at UNC played professionally in 2010, including 11 in Major League Soccer and three abroad. In total, Bolowich has coached 49 players who have been selected in MLS drafts since 1996, including a school-record tying four from Creighton in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.

In 30 seasons on the sideline, he has led his teams to a top-three finish in at least one national poll six times since 2000 and a top-10 finish 11 times in the last 18 seasons, including a No. 3 ranking in the final 2010 NSCAA poll while at North Carolina, and a pair of No. 4 final rankings in both 2011 and 2012 while at Creighton.

Bolowich arrived at North Carolina as a part-time assistant coach in 1986, before becoming a full-time assistant one year later. He was named head coach at UNC in March of 1989, as just the fourth head coach in the history of Tar Heel men’s soccer.

A native of Edenkoben, Germany, Bolowich played and coached at the semi-professional level in his native country at Wiesbaden, Mainz and Cuxhaven. He played collegiately and graduated from the University of Mainz (Germany) in 1981 with a diploma in sports education. Prior to his stint at Mainz, he served two years in the German Luftwaffe (Air Force).

In addition to holding a USSF A-License, Bolowich received his coaching license from the German Football Federation in 1981. Bolowich was active in youth soccer in North Carolina, serving as a regional staff coach with the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Olympic Development Program for Region III and as Director of Coaching for the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association. He coached the Durham-Chapel Hill Strikers U-19 club team to the 1990 Maguire Cup Final Four and, starting in 2007, he coached the Triangle United Soccer Association’s boys Gold team, leading them to three state and regional championships.

Bolowich and his wife of more than 30 years, Nina, have a daughter, Alya, and a son, Alex. Alex was a goalkeeper for the Bluejays from 2011-14.