There aren’t many people who can say they were drafted No. 1 overall in any sport. N.C. State volunteer assistant coach Steve Shak is part of this elite fraternity.
The New York/New Jersey Metrostars, since renamed the New York Red Bulls, took Shak with the first pick of the 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
Shak said he wasn’t expecting to hear his name called as the No. 1 pick.
“It was a little bit of a surprise to me that I was picked first,” Shak said. “But it was a blessing. It was amazing.”
Shak spent three years in the MLS, playing for the Metrostars and the Colorado Rapids. He also played in the United Soccer League, including four years with the Charlotte Eagles, before retiring from professional soccer in 2009.
Shak, a central defender, was not highly recruited by collegiate programs out of high school. After being accepted as a student at UCLA, he chose to walk-on to the Bruins’ soccer team.
“I got into two other schools with smaller programs that I could have tried out for,” Shak said. “But I’m the kind of person that says ‘Ok, let me go to the best program first and if I don’t make it there, then I’ll look at a smaller program.’ But UCLA was the best program in the area and I wanted to go for that first.”
Shak, who grew up 30 minutes from the UCLA campus in Cerritos, Calif., didn’t play during his freshman year. But in his sophomore season, injuries to other players gave Shak an opportunity to step in. He didn’t look back, starting every game in the 1997 season.
Shak helped the Bruins defense record 14 shutouts that season, the second most in school history. He was also awarded the team’s Most Improved Player for his performances and played a key role in helping UCLA win its third NCAA National Championship, shutting out Virginia 2-0 in the final.
“We had a very good team and a year before that, I never really saw myself playing for UCLA,” Shak said. “All of a sudden, here I am staring in the national championship game a year later.”
Shak credits his coach at UCLA, Sigi Schmid, with instilling a team-first mentality into his players. Schmid is currently the head coach of the Seattle Sounders, one of MLS’ most successful franchises.
“Our coach [Schmid] was really good at helping our guys understand that this wasn’t about themselves and that you had to put the team before yourself,” Shak said. “If you do that and do what’s right for the team, then individuals will have success as a result.”
This attitude meshes perfectly with the mentality N.C. State head coach Kelly Findley wants his program to adopt.
“He’s a quality, quality human being,” Findley said. “He’s got a great leadership style, he really wants to make people around him better and he’s got a great knowledge of the game.”
“We have a great staff overall from top to bottom, but Steve has expertise in a position [central defense] that none of our coaching staff played. He can give little insights to central defenders that I can’t give.”
Shak chose to join the Wolfpack primarily for the opportunity to work under Findley. The two were previously acquainted through the Charlotte Eagles organization.
“I called him asking about his experience as a college coach because it’s an area I’m interested in moving into,” Shak said. “I reached out to several coaches that I know, and he was one of the top guys on my list to call. He’s been very successful and I know there’s a lot I can learn from him.”
Shak, who works primarily with the Wolfpack’s defensive unit, said he always wanted to be a coach once his playing days came to an end.
“I love the teaching aspect of coaching and also the mentoring aspect,” Shak said. “You get to help players who are away from home for the first time learn how to make decisions. I love the idea of sport shaping the character of a person.”
“Coaching isn’t just a way for me to feel good about myself. I really, truly want to invest in the lives of the players that I coach. I want to prepare them so that after they’re not with the team I’m coaching anymore, they can go on and become successful men in life.”
