Posted: 11/7/07
North Branch boys soccer banquet ends with surprise announcement
 Sunrise Elementary teacher and North Branch boys soccer coach Brad Gustafson stepped down as the head coach at the end-of-the year banquet last week to spend more time with family. |
By Steve Morris
The North Branch soccer program was thrown off kilter last Tuesday as head coach Brad Gustafson announced his resignation from the team.
After spending four years as head coach and two as an assistant, Gustafson is leaving his post to spend more time with his family.
He broke the news in front of a shocked team and their parents at the end-of-the year awards banquet Oct. 30 in the high school cafeteria.
Gustafson said many people were "shocked" when he told them the news.
"I want to be the spiritual head of the household, and I can't do that if I am not there," he said.
Gustafson, who teaches second grade at Sunrise Elementary School in North Branch, has a two-year and three-week old girls at home and during the season there were many nights when he wouldn't see his kids at all, he said.
"It was probably one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make. Coaching those boys was one of the highest honors of my life, I wouldn't trade it for anything," he said.
North Branch Activities Director Becky Leuer said Gustafson did an outstanding job with the boys soccer program and he was great at working with kids.
"He ran a first class program," she said. "He did a great job at raising young men."
When asked if he will attend any games next season, he said,
"My goal is to be at the games next year."
Currently, the job has not been filled, but it is something Leuer is working on. When asked what type of coach she was hoping to replace him with, Leuer replied, "How about a clone."
"We are diligently working on finding a replacement," she said.
The boys soccer team finished 9th in the North Suburban Conference this year, before losing to Grand Rapids in the section playoffs. They finished the regular season 2-12-2 and 1-8-1 in the North Suburban Conference.
Now that he is taking time off to spend with family, Gustafson said he plans on getting back into coaching, someday.
"I guarantee I will be coaching again, but it will probably be with my daughters teams," he said.
©ECM Post Review
6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com