Thursday, March 28, 2024

Coaches share Big Ten honors

November 16, 2000
Joe Baum, men —

Batman and Robin had the Bat Cave to plan and plot their attacks against Gotham City’s most despicable criminals. MSU men’s soccer coach Joe Baum and women’s soccer coach Tom Saxton have their fourth floor office at Jenison Field House to plot attacks against their Big Ten foes.

The constant dialog that takes place in the combined men’s and women’s soccer office has lent a hand in earning both coaches Big Ten coach of the year honors this season.

Baum, who also won coach of the year in 1996 after leading the team to a 12-5-2 record, said the fact that the two coaches share an office really helps their communication.

“We talk about everything,” Baum said. “We share ideas about practice drills, about recruiting, about fund raising. We just totally bounce ideas off one another and try to be totally open and honest with everything we’re doing.”

Saxton, who was also awarded coach of the year in 1994 when he led his team to a 12-5-2 record, said Baum is his mentor and has helped him mold his own style of coaching.

“I think the relationship between our two programs is extra special and extraordinary as I look around the country (at other programs),” Saxton said. “Through the ups and downs we always share ideas, vent (to) each other and lean on each other.”

Saxton, who played for Baum in the early 1980s and then became a men’s and women’s assistant coach before becoming the women’s head coach in 1991, said he looked to him when developing his own coaching style.

He added that the most important value he has taken from Baum is how to treat people.

“I learned from him as a player here in 1979 that you need to treat people the right way, with integrity,” Saxton said. “That will carry a long way in your career and in life as well. It’s been a great lesson for me and one I try to live out every day.”

Baum said he can’t take credit for all of Saxton’s coaching abilities since his former player has always had a good grip on the game.

“He was a very knowledgeable player,” Baum said. “He was our center midfielder that ran the team when I coached him. I think his knowledge of the game was in-depth before he ever became a coach. I think we have similar styles in that we try to work with people and teach rather than drill and demand.”

Baum said as he is getting older and the game is rapidly changing, the roles have reversed, putting Saxton in the position to teach him new aspects of the game.

“Lets face it, (as) you get older, I’m going to be 54, there’s an age gap between the players and myself,” Baum said. “I think Tom does a great job communicating, he lets his players know where they stand and what they have to do to improve. As I get older my communications skills slip a little bit and I look to him as a good communicator and try to emulate that.”

Both coaches added that they probably won due to significant improvements in their records from a year ago.

The men’s team went from 1-4 in the Big Ten a year ago to an improved 4-1-1 mark this season. The women’s team rose from 3-6-1 to 5-4-1 this year.

Both coaches agreed they were surprised by the honor of being the best coach in the conference.

Saxton said there were other coaches who should have won the award.

“I was totally shocked, almost embarrassed at the time (of the awards banquet) because I really thought the (coach) from Wisconsin did a hell of a job, too,” Saxton said. “He went from eighth place to second place. My players were so happy that night (of the banquet). It’s a form of recognition for our team.”

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