Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2012
“He’s an extremely high-character person who’s very intelligent in the game of soccer,” said Rasmussen. “He was an All-American player, played in the MLS, played on national teams, coached national teams and coached on both the men’s and women’s side. He has great connections in development programs, especially on the women’s side. He’s been involved at the national level with FCA both the men’s and women’s side in soccer. He knows Creighton and Creighton knows him. We’re excited about having him. I think his background will make him an outstanding coach at Creighton.”
Paule said he is excited about the opportunity.
“My memories of being at Creighton were critical to my acceptance of the position because I know what Creighton offers and provides the student-athlete,” said Paule. “For me, in the classroom and on the soccer field, there was a clear commitment to providing the student-athlete a caring and instructive environment. That provided me a great foundation, that helped me in my life after I left Creighton, and has fortunately given me this great opportunity to return. “
Paule played only three years at Creighton (1994-96) before being drafted into Major League Soccer, but his significant and lasting contributions helped him become the eighth player in program history to earn a spot in the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame when he was inducted in the spring of 2012.
He remains the only men’s soccer player in school history to have earned First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in his first three seasons and one of only 10 players overall to have earned the honor three times. He’s also the only man in CU’s storied history to earn MVC Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP honors during his career.
He was named MVC Player of the Year and also a finalist for the Hermann Trophy and the Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year award (before the two were combined) in 1996, the year he led Creighton to its fifth straight MVC regular-season title and its first College Cup.
Paule’s name remains prominent in the Bluejay record book to this day, ranking fifth in multi-goal games (6), ninth in goals scored (28) and 10th in points (77). In 2006, he was named to the MVC’s All-Centennial Team.
Following his junior season, he was drafted 11th overall by the Colorado Rapids in the second round of the 1997 Major League Soccer draft. He played for the Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew and NY/NJ MetroStars during a nine-year MLS career, in which he was named twice to MLS All-Star teams. He was named Colorado’s MVP in 1998 and Columbus’ MVP in 2003.
Upon retiring in 2005, he became an assistant coach for the Columbus Crew. He later joined the Memphis Futbol Club as a Youth Director, and after four years became a Technical Director with the TN Rush. In 2011, Paule became Executive Director of the newly-formed Arlington Soccer Academy, where he’s developed regional talent in the Mid-South.
Since 2006 Paule has also served as a staff coach at the US National level through the adidas ESP program.
Paule also served as the National Soccer Executive Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes from 2011-14. In that role he has traveled as far as Dubai to create partnerships with 93 countries while helping to produce soccer-themed bibles, The Goal, in multiple languages.
“My goal is to have our CU student-athletes have the all-around experience that I enjoyed when here,” said Paule. “We will do what it takes to help each individual leave the university a better soccer player and a better person than when they first arrived. My goal is also to insure our CU Women are engaged in the community, serve the community and build a base of people who will love to support what they are trying accomplish on the field and off the field.
“As it relates specifically to soccer, we will have a hard working, well organized team defensively, and a team that possesses the ball with purpose and is not afraid to attack with speed and creativity. We will not set our goals low, ultimately we want to build our program to be a consistently successful team in the BIG EAST, competing for a national championship.”
Ross and his wife, Laurie, have three children: Jorden (14), Emma (13) and Rossi (10).
