ST. LOUIS — You can debate a lot of things in the St. Louis sports world, but one thing you can't is that Terry Michler is the best high school soccer coach of all time.
The 76-year-old has won nine state titles at Christian Brothers College High School and has recorded 1,056 wins, the second most in the United States.
Let it be known the country's greatest high school soccer coach ever is still coaching from his room in a medicare rehab at the Gatesworth.
"This is early in the year and we're trying to change our system of play a little bit since," Terry Michler said.
"Even after the game, just like what I did right, things to work on. I mean, stay hungry for the next game coming up," CBC senior Dominic Bartoni said.
In 1997, Michler bought into the Dutch Touch style of teaching where he went to Holland and brought their training techniques to St. Louis.
"Dutch philosophy is just a really nice way of playing soccer. It's very attacking-minded," coach Randy Roy said.
But perhaps even greater than his style of soccer was Michler's style of communication with his players.
"I'm a player's coach, you know. I played a lot and I was lucky enough to play. So I know what kind of a coach I like playing for," Michler said. "So I think I know what kind of coach I need to be to help the players get the best out of themselves."
"He doesn't yell at you. If he pulls you aside he'll talk to you, he wants you to get better, he's not trying to put you down. He just wants what's best for you," Bartoni said.
"He'll take you under his wing. And, you know, if you're not doing what you're supposed to do, he's not going to let you get away with it," CBC senior Sam Villa said. "But he's also not going to kill your confidence."
But Michler's story and his life have changed dramatically over the last year. It took a turn for the worse when he fell in the shower on July 4.
"I first went in and I just went in because I fell, you know, And then they got in and they started finding out some issues, medical issues," Michler said. "They had some things with the heart that needed to get resolved, low blood pressure, Afib. And I just got to do a series of things. I was being treated medically for the longest time before they got it around anything physical."
It was a solid three months in bed where an infection spread from his knee to his hip. Doctors had to amputate his left leg on Sept. 22.
"Basically told me it's life or limb," he said. "So that made that decision pretty easy. So right away that night, they went in and took the leg off."
His CBC squad under his former player, now interim coach, Randy Roy continues their mission to win a state title for the coach.
And the players would love to see Coach Michler back on the sidelines.
"We've been with him for four years now. He's close. I've known him my whole life. He grew up he used to coach me at Dutch camps," Bartoni said. "I mean, he's I mean, I love him."
"What would it mean to Terry Michler to be on that field next fall for CBC?" 5 On Your Side Sports Director Frank Cusumano asked.
"It would be everything. I mean, I'm not ready to hang it up yet, you know, It's so what I know that's what I want to what I do. It's the fact that the daily interaction with the kids, you know, seeing them getting better and buying into it, and the competition with the games and the other teams and coaches," Michler said. "I mean, over the years I've built up a good rapport and a good rivalry with with some of the teams and stuff, so I miss that."
Michler's CBC squad was beaten over the weekend in the quarterfinals against Lindbergh High School 3-0.
He expects to be back next season trying to win his 10th state title.
A GoFundMe was set up to help Michler and to get him back on the field with his team. See it here.
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