A source close to the situation has confirmed for White & Blue Review that Creighton soccer program architect Bob Warming will leave Omaha to coach the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Warming will leave Creighton as the Bluejays’ all-time winningest coach in the soccer program’s history. From 1990 to 1994, and again from 2001 until the present, Warming has presided over Creighton University’s only true contender for a national title in any collegiate sport.
At Penn State, Warming will replace the Nittany Lions’ all-time winningest coach, Barry Gorman, who resigned in April after 22 years as head coach in University Park. Gorman left after guiding Penn State to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time, as his club posted a 12-8-2 mark in 2009.
Warming rekindled the soccer program at Creighton, coming to Omaha in 1989 to resurrect the Bluejays program after a four-year absence from competition. In his third year at CU, Warming led the Jays to a perfect 19-0-0 regular season, earning the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Soccer News named Warming the national coach of the year in for 1993.
After a successful stint at Saint Louis University, Warming came back to Omaha and helped the program continue a streak of NCAA Tournament appearances. Oh, and he played a primary role in helping Creighton plan and build Morrison Stadium, arguably the best collegiate soccer complex in the United States.
His impact on Creighton soccer and Bluejays athletics is hard to quantify, but one can start by looking at some of the eye-popping statistics his teams posted during his cumulative 14 seasons at CU. He leaves Omaha with a record of 190-61-34, having won 7 Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships and taking 11 CU teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Keep checking White & Blue Review for more information about Warming’s departure, and Bruce Rasmussen’s second major coaching vacancy search in as many months.