MU | N e w s
Corey Brueggeman
Corey Brueggeman ’12
Men’s soccer head coach
Q&A
Talk about your different roles at
Manchester.
Head coach for the men’s soccer team is my
primary role, along with dealing with the
development of student-athletes on the soccer
team – monitoring their academic progress
and progress on the field. I make sure that
they make good decisions on the field and try
to be a positive influence on the community.
I also teach some physical education courses.
What do you like best about working
at Manchester?
It’s an environment where I’m excited to
give back. If you’re really passionate about
the place that you’re working, you strive to
be successful and impact as many people as
possible. Going here, it’s really left a strong
impact on my life. Being able to come back
and coach – it’s an amazing feeling.
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What is your best advice for
Manchester students?
Don’t be afraid to try new courses. My
favorite class here was an acting class. It really
got me out of my comfort zone and helped
me become a better speaker. It definitely
opened me up from my shy, sophomore self.
And then study abroad, definitely. I spent
spring semester of my junior year in England.
Your education:
Bachelor’s degree in sport management
from Manchester. Master’s degree in
recreation and sport management from
Indiana State University.
What is your best memory as a
college student?
Living on Garver second floor my first year
with six guys who would eventually be in
my wedding. It was the only first-year floor
on campus, and just being able to connect
deeply with those guys so quickly – it was
pretty amazing. Soccer memories are great.
Coach Good and I had some pretty crazy
experiences when I was a player. One game,
we were down 2-0 and we scored two goals in
the last five minutes. I scored in overtime to
win it.
What is the most valuable thing that
you learned in college?
Building relationships. If you want to be
successful or have a good life, you need to
be open to many different relationships –
building positive ones and getting rid of ones
that are hindering your success and holding
you back. I met my wife here. We started
dating my sophomore year. I held onto
that relationship, because that was a good
relationship.
What is it like to be coaching a team
that you once played for?
It’s awesome. My heart is fully invested in it.
It hurts when we lose. It’s exciting when we
play well.