John Born sees North Park as the perfect place to offer a concentration in sport management. “We utilize our urban location, with numerous guest speakers, volunteer opportunities, and internships with local professional and amateur organizations, and nonprofit agencies,” says Born. “This is not just a classroom program.”

After playing collegiate soccer at Concordia University, Born went on to earn a master’s degree in sport management from the University of Richmond. He used this training to successfully lead sports programs and coach at the club, high school, and college levels.

Under his direction, the men’s soccer program has had 14 consecutive winning seasons, captured four CCIW titles, achieved regional rankings from 2001 to 2011, and was ranked nationally from 2005 to 2011. For six of the past seven years, the National Soccer Coaches Association has also recognized and honored North Park with the “Team Academic Award,” given to athletic teams that have a cumulative grade point average over 3.0.