National Champions, 35 Years Later

When asked about my dad, I always describe him as a soccer player. Not just any soccer player, but a talented player with two national championships to his name. One in an over-30 league in 2001 and, more importantly, a NCAA title from his time at Santa Clara during the 1989 season.

The ‘98 team has been close from the start. Photo courtesy of Garry Smith

As a child, I learned about the team as he told me stories of the legendary 1989 national championship team. This is the only championship Santa Clara men’s soccer has won.

The lore that surrounds this 1989 team was a part of my reason for coming to Santa Clara. His fondness for this place and the people here created high expectations–which Santa Clara has lived up to. Now all we are missing is a second men’s national championship team.

The 1989 championship was unique. The final game ended in a 1-1 tie, which prompted the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to change its rules, preventing a tie from happening again. Santa Clara was awarded the title co-champions with Virginia, after a quadruple overtime game that kicked off in a chilling temperature of 10 degrees below zero.

“It was weird because, when you think of the national championship, you rush on the field, you're celebrating and you do the dogpile,” said Jeremy Smith, my dad, and Santa Clara alumni of the class of ‘91. “We tied the game and it didn't feel like we won anything. There wasn't really a celebration.”

This success, though under-celebrated, was a culmination of four years of work put into recruiting and the formation of team values by Head Coach Steve Sampson.

Sampson came to Santa Clara in 1985 and immediately began recruiting for the following season and beyond. He eventually served as assistant coach for the men’s national team in the 1994 World Cup, and as the head coach in 1998.

“We decided that instead of competing against Stanford and UCLA for California recruits, we would focus on junior college transfers and players from the Northwest,” said Sampson.

By 1989, Sampson estimated that roughly half the roster of the team came from Washington state.

This unique contingent of players from the Pacific Northwest, along with other distinct groups within the team, led to a variety of nicknames; what Brandon Schmidt, midfielder and class of ‘92, called “signature pieces.”

“There was this coming together of these signature pieces: the Woodchucks, the Californians, the Killer Bees, the Worker Bees and the coaches,” said Schmidt. “That season was really the culmination of years of shifting of the culture and great recruiting, but the recruiting wasn't just recruiting for pure talent because yes, we had plenty of talent, but it was also about quality people.”

Woodchucks was the nickname for the Washington contingent, the Californians referred to the rest of the team who mostly came from either Southern California or the Bay Area.

The “Killer Bees” referred to two transfers from a local junior college, Paul Bravo 91’ and Jeff Baicher 91’–who were known for their offensive prowess. Jokingly, the rest of the team was referred to as the “Worker Bees” since they helped get the ball to the feet of Bravo and Bicher to score.

“Everyone felt like they were an integral part of that team,” said Steve Robertson ‘90, a midfielder on the 1989 team. “Regardless of their status in terms of minutes on the field, we all cheered each other on throughout that season. That was an important part of our championship success.”

These “Worker Bees” were pushed hard, something the players consistently brought up as they recalled their experience 35 years ago, and something Sampson readily admitted to.

“I pushed them very hard. I mean, harder than you can even imagine,” said Sampson. “And they gave it right back to me in spades. I cannot be prouder of them to this day.”

Even though the ending was anticlimactic, it capped a season that was sensational from the start. The team immediately felt that there was something special.

“You're looking around before the season starts, and it was like you could see it in the building,” said Brandon Schmidt, midfielder and class of ‘92. “I'm looking around at our team and I'm going, we can do this. Almost to the point of, we will do this, it's just that kind of a feeling.”

And so they did. After a four-year revamp of the program, working hard all season and building a strong team culture, they earned Santa Clara’s first men’s soccer National Championship.

It's an experience that has kept these men connected for 35 years.

“It's the last year that a team has gone through a complete season through a national championship undefeated, even now, 35 years later, and we watch it every year for that reason,” said Cam Rast ‘92, defender and captain of the ‘89 team and current head coach for the Santa Clara men’s soccer team. “We call each other and start a text circulation until the last team goes out. It's super fun for us.”

While the singularity of their accomplishments keeps the group close, there is so much more to the bond.

“If you’re in town, you can call one of the guys because there's a base of very strong relationships– it's one of your brothers that you know is there for you,” said Eric Yamamoto, 90’, current assistant coach for the Santa Clara men’s soccer team, and goalie of the 1989 team. “And yes, we went through this experience together, but I think it always comes back to the character of the individuals that we had, they are all just such good people.”

This sentiment of the team being comprised of not just good players, but good people, was something repeated by everyone I talked to. It's also something I can attest to. The 1989 team is a family, one that extends to the spouses and children of the players and anyone lucky enough to witness the lifelong friendships of these men.

“The quality of human beings, the character and the quality of athleticism and competitiveness that the 1989 Santa Clara team had was beyond my expectation and to this day remains the single best team that I've ever coached,” said Steve Sampson.

The one person who had an answer for why this team is made up of so many great people was, unsurprisingly, the man who has continued to shape the program for the last 30 years, current head coach, Cam Rast.

“I'd say it starts when you choose Santa Clara,” said Rast. “The reason that I stay, and my staff stays, is we really believe in what the school represents.”

An abbreviated version of this article was printed in the Feb. 2, 2024 issue of The Santa Clara.