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Rainey Collects Win No. 150 By AARON BLAU Ron Rainey has been around coaching his entire life His father was the head men's basketball coach at the University of Delaware and he knew at a young age that coaching would be the profession of choice Aſter 16 seasons and 150 career wins, Rainey has proven that coaching was the right career move. Rainey, now in his seventh season as the head coach of the University of Iowa women's soccer team, picked up career win No. 150 aſter Iowa's 2-1 decision at Army on Sept. 7 Long before he started picking up wins as a collegiate head coach, Rainey spent time as a youngster soaking up any sport he could. "I was always around coaches at Delaware when I was growing up, " " Rainey said. "We had a group of that were around everything, whether it was football, basketball, wrestling or soccer. You were just around athletes all the time. Soccer was a sport I gravitated toward at an early age. Aſter a successful playing career at Wilkes University and a graduate assistant position at Trenton State College, Rainey was asked to interview for his first head coaching job at Division II Wisconsin-Parkside. The job description also had something unrelated to soccer; the title of sports information director. "It all goes back to preparing and working as hard as you can," Rainey said. "Perspectives change a little from when I was a coach and single, to now being a coach with a family, but the work ethic part of coaching is still important. "The first couple years you are battling to get everything out of those players and the players want to leave a legacy, something I'll always remember." " Rainey said. "That is Some of Rainey's fondest memories at Iowa are the signature wins his Hawkeye teams have collected over the last seven years. "Some of the big memories are the successes we have had in conference play, and we have beaten ranked Big Ten teams. Those are things the kids will remember forever. " Rainey said. "We have won a lot of Big Ten games " "Some of the big memories are the successes we have had in conference play, "I remember flying out for the interview and I was pretty confident about the soccer part," Rainey said. "I was wondering what I was getting myself into with the sports information part, but I had an English background. I was a much better soccer coach than a sports information director. " Wisconsin-Parkside was one of three schools where Rainey coached that were in the first year of having a soccer program. He was an assistant at Iowa in its first season, and was also hired as Ball State's head coach for its inaugural season. "I was young and I just wanted to get out there and coach," Rainey said. "My first jobs were during a time when soccer was exploding, in terms of the amount of programs being created around the country. " Rainey spent nine seasons at three different schools before making the move to Iowa. Aſter Wisconsin-Parkside, Rainey was the head coach at Towson State for one season and Ball State for seven. Running programs at Division II and mid-major institutions groomed Rainey for a BCS school job. 21 said. "We have won a lot of Big Ten games and we have beaten ranked Big Ten teams. Those are things the kids will remember forever. " Rainey " While winning is fun for Rainey, building a positive perspective for the Iowa soccer program is something in which he takes great pride. "How the team perceives itself and how people outside of the program perceive Iowa soccer is pretty different from when I started seven years ago, " Rainey said. "We have gained some respect." Rainey has built the Hawkeyes into a respected program on the field, but he is extremely proud of his squad's efforts in the classroom. "They are great in the classroom," Rainey said. "Any player that has been in our program for four years has graduated and gone out and got a job. I hope I never take that for granted. It's hard for our kids to balance athletics, academics and the social part of being a college student." Rainey is Iowa soccer's all-time winningest coach, collecting more than 60 wins in his seven seasons. He built Ball State into a prominent program as well, but he knew that being a Hawkeye meant being a part of something special. "Iowa was the only job I applied for when I was at Ball State," Rainey said. "There is something about being in Iowa City, being around the university, and being around the people that makes this place special. You know you can be successful at Iowa with the type of athlete that wants to come to this school. "