“His passion for the game and his players is why he is such a great coach. He not only loves the sport itself, but he loves his players,” says Kristin Neher ’05, a forward and four-year women’s soccer player at Jewell.

“He cares so much about people and soccer that his passion is instilled in everyone,” agrees Rob Thomson, assistant men’s soccer coach at Jewell and director of communications for the Kansas City Wizards soccer team.

National recognition

Cissell’s singular commitment to soccer has brought both the coach and his players national recognition. In January, Cissell was named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men’s Soccer National Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Cissell guided the Cardinal’s men’s soccer team to an 18-3-2 season that included a trip to the NAIA Final Four. The Cardinals finished the season ranked third in the final NAIA national poll. The Cardinals also became the first team in Heart of America Athletic Conference history to go undefeated in the conference without any ties, winning the HAAC championship for the first time in over 20 years. He is the only coach in history to have coached both a men’s and women’s soccer team in NAIA national final four championship tournaments. Cissell was also named the NSCAA/Adidas Central Region, NAIA Region V and the Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

“I am just thrilled that they recognized what kind of season our men’s team had here at Jewell,” Cissell says in his Mabee Center office that is wallpapered with plaques and cluttered with trophies. He is quick to share the credit for his accomplishments with assistant coaches Thomson and Jefferson Roblee. “It is a great honor, not only for our program but also for William Jewell College.”

Focused on the game

Cissell was recruited as a student-athlete from Chesterfield, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. Although he was also being wooed by Rockhurst, he fell in love with the Jewell campus and decided to accept a scholarship offer from the college.

He arrived at Jewell with neighborhood friend and fellow soccer player Chad Jolly ’94, now vice president for institutional advancement at William Jewell. Jolly and Cissell made their first campus visit to Jewell together and wound up as roommates, fraternity brothers and lifelong friends. (Jolly would serve as Cissell’s best man when he married Heather Hohman ’97 in July of 1995, and Cissell returned the favor when Jolly married Kristen Grando ’95 a month later.) Jolly remembers that his friend was intensely focused on the game of soccer even then.

“Soccer was his identity and his single focus,” Jolly remembers. “It has been his passion for his entire life. He was truly a student of the game, always making a point to watch the World Cup and constantly reading soccer magazines. It was almost as if he knew what he would be doing with it. It’s incredible to see how his passion has become his vocation.”

After graduating with a degree in business administration and communication, Cissell went to work in the sales and marketing office for the Kansas City Wizards soccer team in 1995. In that position he helped organize youth soccer camps, which laid the foundation for his coaching career. He left the Wizards in 1999 to become the head women’s soccer coach at his alma mater.

Building a championship tradition

Cissell has headed the William Jewell College women’s program since 1999 and the men’s program since 2002. On the men’s side, Cissell owns a 66-26-7 record. For the women, his record stands at 112-25-6. He has already led the women’s program to three NAIA National Tournament appearances (2003, 2004 and 2005). The men’s program appeared in the NAIA National Tournament in 2004 and 2006.

In addition, both William Jewell College programs have become staples in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America national rankings, regularly producing All-Americans and nationally recognized scholar-athletes. The men’s team placed three players from this year’s squad on the All-American teams and three players on the Academic All-American team. The women also placed three members from this year’s team on the Academic All-American team and four players on the All-American team. Combining both teams, Cissell has coached 21 All-Americans and 16 Academic All-Americans during his tenure at Jewell.

“I think we should be mentors,” Cissell says of his coaching philosophy. “Our job is to help students progress and develop, both as athletes and as people. I love to see how they grow and change over the course of their time at Jewell, from kids into young men and women. I think the players know they can count on me. Sometimes our relationship is all about soccer, and sometimes it’s not about soccer at all. I love them as people, and I love them as players.”

Bringing out the best

Those who know him well agree that Cissell’s holistic approach to student development is a key factor in his success. “Chris embodies the best of what William Jewell has to offer,” Jolly says. “He is investing in students’ lives and creating better people. His commitment to students goes well beyond soccer.”  

Besides his coaching responsibilities, Cissell directs the William Jewell College All Star Soccer Camps. In 2006, Jewell hosted nine weeks of soccer camps with combined attendance of more than 800. His students and former students often make up the bulk of the summer camps’ coaching staff.

“It is usually around 100 degrees on a cool day, and you play soccer outside for a minimum of six hours a day,” Neher recalls of her soccer camp coaching experience. “At night you have to keep 10- to 15-year-olds busy and entertained. Needless to say, you do not get much sleep. But I would get up every morning and be ready for it all over again.”

National championship the goal

Cissell’s accumulating coaching credits include HAAC Women’s Coach of the Year four times (2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005), as well as NAIA Region V Women’s Coach of the Year in 2003.  In addition, he was named NSCAA/Adidas Midwest Coach of the Year in 2003. On the men’s side, Cissell has earned the HAAC Men’s Coach of the Year designation two times (in 2003 and 2006). He was also Region V Coach of the Year in 2006, as well as NSCAA/Adidas Central Region and NSCAA/Adidas National Coach of the Year. His goal is to bring a national championship to both the men’s and women’s soccer programs at Jewell.

“It’s nice getting all of the accolades,” Cissell says. “But what means the most is seeing the students graduate and then hearing from them later. It means a lot when they keep in touch.”