Denver Men’s Soccer travels to Omaha, Nebraska to face Summit League rival University of Nebraska Omaha. New Maverick head coach Bob Warming came out of retirement this season to assume the reins of the UNO soccer program.
The following article was published in Maverick Daily.
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As if seven teams in 31 years were not enough, retired soccer coach Bob Warming decided to get out of his Easy Boy chair to lead the Omaha Mavericks this season. When asked why he left the comforts of home for the pitch, Warming responds, “Frankly, my wife Cindy wanted me out of the house. It was either Uber or UNO for me.”
Warming was thrilled to add the UNO scarf (right) to his bedroom collection (left).
Warming, a two-time national coach of the year with a career record of 461-240-82 and numerous conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances, said he was excited to get the opportunity to coach again. “It’s more than getting out of the house – I get free Adidas.”
Asked about the challenges of getting back into the game both on and off the pitch, Warming said, “Well, I am confident with our current crop of kids – we will be competitive.” Off the pitch? “Since the (Omaha) athletic department dropped K-Cups, I have to stop and get my senior cup of coffee at McDonald’s every morning. The coffee was free at Creighton.”
But the big question is: can a grandfather relate to today’s collegiate soccer players? “Well, I listen to Chance the Rapper. I play Minecraft. And, I know who shot J.R. – that is valuable…especially if the kids watch TV Land. During my first meeting with the team, I had ’em vote – Ginger or Mary Ann. It was Ginger by a mile!”
When asked how things have changed since he began coaching, Warming said, “We still play 45-minute halves, players still wear shorts and 7-year-old kids are still making soccer balls in India.
