John Born transitioned his career from 20-year Head Men's Soccer Coach to Assistant Vice President for Athletics and Sport Management in the summer of 2019.
In his time leading the Athletics department at North Park, Born has seen five different teams bring home CCIW titles and tournament championships, including "first evers" by the women's volleyball, women's tennis, and men's basketball program. The men's soccer team also earned league titles in 2019 and 2021 while the women's soccer team beat Wheaton for the first time in program history in 2022.
As the Head Men's Soccer Coach at NPU, Born took over a North Park team that, before his arrival, had won only one game in 1998. Under his direction, the program has had 18 consecutive winning seasons, captured five CCIW titles, achieved regional rankings from 2001-2014 and was ranked nationally 2005-2012, and yet again in 2017 and 2018. He has coached 85 All-CCIW players, 49 All-Region selections, 12 All-Americans and 4 CCIW Players of the Year. His players have also had the distinct honor of being selected "North Park Athlete of the Year" ten times under his tenure.
The Vikings’ five-game improvement in Born’s first year at North Park represented the sixth biggest leap of any Division III soccer program in the nation. In 2001, the Vikings came within a game of capturing their first-ever CCIW title. In 2002, the North Park men went undefeated in a preseason trip to Sweden, where they faced top Swedish clubs. In 2004, the Vikings exploded to the top and finally won their first championship, ending Wheaton College’s string of nine straight CCIW titles.
Born’s overall coaching record entering the 2018 season is 244-138-31 while his North Park record is 215-102-36. He has been named Coach of the Year in the CCIW (2004, 2005, 2010, and 2017) and the Lake Michigan Conference (1996).
Born was named the Central Region Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year by D3soccer.com in 2017 after leading his team to a national runner-up finish. The historic run ended with a record of 20-2-2, including a CCIW title and CCIW tournament title.
Born has also been instrumental in establishing a sport management concentration for undergraduate students in the School of Business and Non-Profit Management.
At Milwaukee School of Engineering, Born showed his ability to lift a program from the depths. Born started at MSOE with a team that finished 1-12-1 in his first season, and steadily built the program. Displaying marked improvement over a four year stretch, Born’s 1998 team posted a 13-5-2 record in his final season at MSOE.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Born earned his bachelor’s degree from Concordia University of Wisconsin and a Master of Science in Sport Management from the University of Richmond. While playing on a nationally ranked NAIA team at Concordia, Born was honored as a team captain, team MVP, All-Lake Michigan Conference, NSCAA All-Midwest Region, and an NSCAA All-American Scholar Athlete.
