Redmond Shines in First Year as Clayton Soccer Coach

This fall, the Clayton Greyhounds boys soccer team did something no Clayton High School soccer team had done before when it made the Final Four for Class 2 schools in Missouri. With a third-place finish, the team cemented its status as Clayton's most successful boys soccer team in history — for now. It reached that benchmark under the leadership of first-year head coach Tom Redmond, whose experience might lead one to speculate that there are more good things to come in future seasons.

Although it is Redmond's first year with Clayton, he is hardly a rookie coach. He served as an assistant coach for five years (1986–90) and as a head coach for nine years (1991–99) at the University of Missouri St. Louis, and as an assistant coach for two years at Indiana University (1976-77).

His playing resume is equally impressive. He won a national title in 1972 and was runner-up in 1973 during a two-year stint at St. Louis Community College at Meramec. That was followed by two years at Indiana University, where he was named a Second Team All-American in 1975. Top that all off with a four-year professional career in the North American Soccer League and it's easy to see how his first year at Clayton went so well.

Redmond  is quick to acknowledge mentors who helped shape his coaching.

"I had the good fortune of playing for the legendary Jerry Yeagley at Indiana University," Redmond said in an email correspondence. "He is the winningest Division 1 NCAA soccer coach at this time, and in several Halls of Fame. Another coach I learned a lot from was the late Don Dallas. He coached for over 25 years at UMSL and led the soccer team to the school's first and only national championship in 1973."

All of this experience came in handy to Redmond as he led Clayton, which had a postseason full of excitement and difficult matchups.

"We opened district play as the (No.) 4 seed," Redmond said. "We beat University City, 6-0, and after that, every team that we faced in the state tournament was either a one or two seed in their respective districts. Also, many of our opponents were rated in the final small-school rankings' top 10. Each and every match in the tournament was very exciting."

Assistant coach Eric Gruenenfelder credits Redmond's level-headedness as a factor that figured prominently in the team's playoff run.

"He didn't let the team panic when things were not going our way, nor did he let them get too excited when we started our run in the state tournament," Gruenenfelder said. "He kept them focused toward our team's goal, which was making a long run in the state tournament."

Clayton athletic director Bob Bone reiterated that sentiment.

"Tom was very easy to work with, and a student-centered coach," Bone said. "He was able to see the big picture when things were not going well."

Redmond, though, is not one to take credit. He passes the superlatives onto his assistants.

"I had two outstanding assistant coaches this year," he said. "My right-hand man is Eric Gruenenfelder. Eric is Clayton High soccer, as he has been coaching both the boys and the girls for the past 14 years. He is an outstanding coach, and we would not have had the success that we had without him. My other assistant is Kevin McCarthy. We were very fortunate to have him on the staff as our goalkeeper coach. Kevin played for me at UMSL, and he was an outstanding goalkeeper."

But the Clayton team itself deserves the recognition for achieving a third-place finish and a 17-10-2 record, Redmond said. He said he couldn't be happier with the group of guys that will return next year, though he acknowledged that the senior class will be difficult to replace.

"We have a very nice core of about 10 kids who will lead us next year and who are coming off of state tournament experience, that will help a lot," he said. "Our senior class was exceptional, though, and we will not be able to replace the likes of senior starters Kevin Matheny, Beau Haydon, Josh Goldstein, Chris Wolfgram, Will Hayes, or Michael Takes as well as senior non-starters Brett Virgin-Downey and Diante Lipsey."