Tim Champion became the first head coach of the Saint Louis University women's soccer team in January 1996 after the University announced the addition of the sport the previous spring. In 11 years at the helm, Champion has led the Billikens to a 138-67-20 (.658) record, including two NCAA Tournament appearances, a pair of Atlantic 10 Tournament championships and three regular-season conference championships. A two-time Conference USA Coach of the Year, he has had 24 different players listed on 47 All-Conference teams, 12 NSCAA All-Region players and two All-Americans, including two-time selection Courtney Hulcer. Additionally, the program boasts eight NSCAA Scholar All-Americans, four ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans and four conference women's soccer Scholar Athletes of the Year. With a 14-year career record of 198-81-23, Champion's .694 winning percentage ranks 19th all-time among coaches with at least 10 years as an NCAA Division I head coach. The number is 21st in the nation in active coaches with at least five years as a Division I head coach. After winning their second C-USA regular-season title in five years in 2004, Champion's Billikens did not miss a beat in switching to the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2005. SLU stormed to a school-record 16 wins, one better than in 2004, and posted a perfect 8-0-0 record in A-10 play to win the regular-season title. A pair of 1-0 shutouts in the A-10 Tournament made Champion's squad the first women's team at SLU to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Making the national event was not enough for the Bills, who knocked off No. 18 Stanford in the first round before falling to No. 5 Santa Clara on the Broncos' home field. The 2006 squad, which duplicated the 2005 team's A-10 Tournament title and returned to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, put five players on the A-10's All-Conference teams, three of whom went on to earn NSCAA All-Region honors. In a program known nationally for its defense, SLU has had three 20-point scorers in back-to-back seasons, all three of whom have also ranked among the A-10's top 10 in points. In 2004, the Billikens had six double-digit scorers, but it was the retooled defense that captured national recognition. Saint Louis' 0.58 goals against average ranked 10th in the nation, while the Billikens' 0.59 shutout percentage was the eighth-best in the country. The team's 13 shutouts matched the school record set in 2003. In 1999, just the fourth season of the program, Champion led the Billikens to the University's first outright Conference USA regular-season title. En route to the championship, the Billikens broke every single-season team record, including a 10-game unbeaten streak that wrapped up the regular season. The team's 14-3-3 overall record and 8-1-2 conference mark were both bests in the program's brief history. A year later, the team surpassed its best league record with the undefeated 8-0-3 mark in 2000. Champion's 2003 squad set the school record with 13 shutouts, including two shutouts en route to the C-USA Tournament championship game. In addition to having six players on the All-Conference team and the conference Freshman of the Year in 1999, Champion was honored by the league's coaches as Coach of the Year. He also was named Regional Coach of the Year by Soccer Buzz. Two players, Trisha Underberg and Kelly Young, were named to the All-Region first team by the NSCAA, the first such selections in the program's history. Since then, 10 other players have gone on to earn All-Region honors. In 2002, Meghann Burke became the program's first NSCAA All-American and the University's first female athlete selected in a professional draft when the WUSA's Carolina Courage selected her in the second round of the 2003 draft. Courtney Hulcer was the first of Champion's players to earn All-America honors in multiple years as she was recognized nationally by Soccer Buzz in 2004 and 2006. Before coming to Saint Louis, Champion coached women's soccer at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., for two seasons and posted a 40-10-2 record. He directed the Lady Lions to the NAIA national tournament and captured the NAIA Midwest Regional Championship in both 1994 and 1995. A three-time NAIA Women's Midwest Collegiate Coach of the Year selection, Champion led his squad to an NAIA national runner-up finish in 1995. Before his stint at Lindenwood, Champion enjoyed seasons with Cardinal Newman College's (St. Louis, Mo.) men's and women's teams. He directed the men to the NLCAA National Championship in 1981 and the women to an NAIA runner-up finish in 1984. He also was an assistant coach for the Billikens' men's team from 1986 to 1992. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Champion has a long association with St. Louis regional youth soccer. Prior to accepting his post at Saint Louis, he compiled a 130-33-11 record over eight seasons at Nerinx Hall High School. He led Nerinx to a state championship in 1988, when he was named Missouri Women's High School Coach of the Year. Champion directed Nerinx to a state runner-up finish in 1994 and made it to the final four in 1995. He was named NSCAA Women's Midwest High School Coach of the Year both seasons. Champion earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Harris-Stowe State University in 1979, a master's degree in education from Washington University in 1987 and a doctorate in higher education administration from SLU in 2006. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, Debbie, and their son, Tim.
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