What makes up a great sports team? Many would say the players do. However, the players aren’t always born great and that’s where the coaches come in. No other coach at Cabrini produces more astounding players than new men’s head soccer coach Rob Dallas. Dallas worked with the men’s soccer team for six years as an assistant before being hired as the replacement for Glen Jaskelewicz, who stepped down in late November.
A Radnor Township native, Dallas started playing soccer when he was 2 years old and played through college. He attended Millersville University and once his playing career ended, he began coaching. In total, Dallas has been coaching for eight years.
When hearing the news, Dallas was very excited about the new job. “The former coach [Jaskelewicz] and myself helped turn the program around and won a lot of games,” Dallas said. “We felt like we were producing some quality young men and student athletes. I was really excited to take over the reigns and continue doing that.”
Chosen by the heads of several sports teams around campus as well as Joe Giunta, Cabrini’s director of athletics and recreation, Dallas is the perfect fit for the soccer team. “It was all about the right place and right time,” Giunta said. “He has a sharp soccer mind and is a great recruiter. He’s a nice young man and very personable.”
Even though Dallas worked for Cabrini sports before, that didn’t set him apart from other candidates. However, it was an advantage for him to obtain the job.
“The search was real and I was open to hiring the best candidate, whoever that is,” Giunta said. “Some people feel that we’re just going to go through the motions and we’re just going to hire the assistant anyway.”
There were many qualifications that the athletic department had to go by when hiring a new coach. “When you hire someone, there are 15 to 20 things he has that and she has that,” Giunta said. “Some are tangible and some are intangible.”
According to Dallas, the interview process was stressful but it was all worth it. Dallas did a lot of phone interviews before going in for a formal interview. He started on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
“I knew all the boys coming into the job which made things a lot easier,” Dallas said. “To be honest, when it comes to recruiting and coaching, we never stopped and hoped I got the position either way.”
Dallas is very passionate about soccer and loves everything about coaching. “It’s a great way to stay involved in the game and being able to interact with young men and shape them and mold them into who they become,” Dallas said. Preparing for the job has been stressful and he says that knowing the players prior to getting the job makes his role as head coach a lot easier. The soccer team is in training now and looking forward to getting back on the field.
“We felt last season ended abruptly and didn’t end the way we wanted to so we’re excited to get back out there and redeem ourselves a little bit,” Dallas said.
Previous head coach Jaskelewicz had a huge impact on Dallas and how he coaches today. On why Jaskelewicz left, Dallas chuckled and said, “He had to take care of little ones at home and he wanted to become more of a family man but he left us in a good position and somewhere where we could succeed.”
While he is just beginning his head coaching career, Dallas doesn’t plan on leaving his new role with the team anytime soon.
“This isn’t just a stepping stone for me. I grew up in the area. I have a wife and a son and this is where my family is and this is where I want to be,” Dallas said. “I’m not using this to move up in the ranks. I don’t want to become a Division I coach. I love it here, I want to remain here and this is where I want to build along a legacy and what kind of heights we can take this program to.”
