Coaching Staff

Pete Miller is in his second season as a women's soccer assistant and a strength and conditioning coach.

Miller was born in Minnesota but moved with his family to Evanston, Illinois at a very early age. He attended Evanston Township High School and played soccer at that time with a local club team, the Pele Stars. Miller's athletic abilities also extended to ice hockey where he played with a couple of traveling teams in Ontario, Canada following his graduation from high school.

Miller returned to the United States to attend Chicago State University where he would earn both a bachelor's (1998) and a Master's degree (2000) in health and physical education. In 1999, he joined the faculty at the University of Chicago Lab School where he taught physical education and later served as the department chair for six years. During this time, Miller had the privilege to serve a fellowship at St. Andrew's in Scotland (2004) and avail himself of their study resources in the fields of health and physical education.

Miller competed in bodybuilding between 1984 and 1990. He won a number of state and regional titles before winning the overall title at the 1990 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Mr. America. It was following this honor that he developed the urge to teach and now, some 18 years later, he will pass along some of his knowledge and experience to Concordia's soccer players. Miller states, "In a sport like soccer, conditioning is a critical component. It is my goal to help each player individually, as well as the team as a whole, to make this an area of strength."

 

Tom Paparounis joins the Cougar women’s soccer coaching staff for the 2009 season as the goalkeepers’ coach.

Paparounis comes to Concordia with an extensive history of work with high school and club programs. His coaching career began in 1999 with the Soccer Academy in the Washington D.C. area, coaching goalkeepers from the ages of eight to 18.  Following a stop at McLean High School in Virginia, Paparounis moved to Texas to build on his professional experience. He developed a goalkeeper coaching program for the DFW Tornados, a club organization with over 25 teams in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Paparounis has also lent his expertise to the Keeper Zone of Dallas and the North Texas Olympic Development Program; the latter saw him work with three different regional championship teams.

The 2009 season will be Paparounis’ first full season with a collegiate team after working on a volunteer basis at Goucher College in Maryland. He states, “I am excited about working with this level where there is generally a great passion for the game and a 'get down to business’ attitude. I was looking for a competitive school in the Chicago area where everyone is willing to work hard and have fun, and I see Concordia as fitting that description. I look forward to working with Coach Panfil and her players.”

This season will mark Paparounis’ return to the Division III level. He played collegiately at Salisbury University in Maryland. He lettered for four seasons and was the Seagulls’ starting goalkeeper for two years. He recorded a goals-against average of 0.46 during the 2002 season to earn first-team all-conference honors. The team went 15-1-3 that year, advancing to the NCAA tournament before losing to Messiah College.