Jack Marshall
Wentworth J. (Jack) Marshall, Jr.
Head Coach Soccer
1954-'66
Jack Marshall's name is synonymous with soccer, not only at Cleveland State University, but in all of northeastern Ohio. He came to Fenn College in 1954 to start a soccer program that will celebrate its 40th year in 1994. He stayed for 13 years, serving as Fenn's only soccer coach and becoming the first soccer coach when it became Cleveland State University in 1964.
Marshall played soccer at University School and then went on to play at Williams College, subsequently entering law school at Western Reserve University. It was during this time that he was asked to start a soccer program at Fenn College, which had no fall sports at the time.
He started the program at a time when soccer in Cleveland consisted of ethnic leagues and two private prep schools that provided the only high school soccer. In the state of Ohio there were perhaps a half-dozen colleges with soccer programs. Knowledge of the game was so limited that he had to explain and teach the basic rules of the game to his players before doing anything else.
He served not only as the head coach but was also his own assistant, trainer, ball boy, scheduler, field and referee procurer and equipment manager at a time when few, if any, local sporting goods stores carried soccer equipment.
While filling all of these roles Marshall continued his law studies. Because Fenn was a co-op school where students alternated quarters of school and work, practices were held after working hours and Marshall was able to pursue his legal career.
On October 2, 1954 Fenn played its first game on a field that is now the site of the WEWS-TV5 studios and defeated Western Reserve University 5-2. With that victory, Marshall began a winning tradition in soccer that continues today. Marshall's 61 victories stood as the all-time record for 27 years, until 1993 when current CSU coach Brian Doyle tied the mark with his 61st win. In 1955, Marshall produced Fenn's only unbeaten team in any sport when his squad went 4-0-1. The .900 winning percentage of the 1955 and 1959 teams still stands as the best produced by any Fenn-CSU team. The nine victories of the 1959 team stood as a record until the 1968 team won 13 games.
Of all the sport programs in the history of Fenn College soccer was by far the most successful with a winning percentage of .591. And of all coaches who coached for more than one season, only Raymond Ray had more success than Jack Marshall.
During the thirteen years he coached soccer at Fenn-CSU, Marshall compiled a record of 61-43-10 for a winning percentage of .579. During this time the other sports competed in by the school had a combined winning percentage of .346. And only the strong wrestling program, coach by Hall-of-Famer Dick Bonacci, has a better winning percentage, .605.
Not only did Jack Marshall produce great soccer teams, he produced great players as well. He coached two 1st team All-Americans and an Honorable Mention All-American. His players were selected to the All-Midwest Team 15 times and to the All-Ohio Team 33. And perhaps the greatest testimony to his coaching, four of his players have been selected to the CSU Hall of Fame.
