Joe Baum Position: Head Coach Experience: 31st Year

Joe Baum enters his 31st season as head coach and 34th overall along the sidelines for the Michigan State men's soccer program. He has been associated with Spartan soccer for a combined 38 seasons as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

He enters the season 14th among active NCAA head coaches in career victories and is just four wins shy of becoming just the 26th coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 300 career wins, where he would join Indiana's legendary Jerry Yeagley as the only Big Ten coaches to ever reach the mark.

A two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Baum has guided the Spartans to an overall mark of 296-217-48 (.570), which includes 20 winning seasons during his time overseeing the Green and White. Last season, Baum guided the Spartans to a 10-6-2 record, including two wins over teams ranked in the nation's top 25. On Sept. 1, Baum coached the Spartans to the program's greatest regular-season upset in school history, a 1-0 victory against third-ranked and 2005 national runner-up New Mexico.

In 2004, MSU captured its first Big Ten Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four years, finishing the season with a 12-7-1 record. The Spartans made a magical run through the conference tournament, shutting out Wisconsin, 1-0, in the first round before shocking defending national champion Indiana, 2-1, in the semifinals. Michgian State capped the tournament with a 1-0 win over Northwestern in the championship.

In 2001, the Spartans (13-6-1) made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1969. The Green and White defeated Butler 2-1 but fell in round two to Big 10 powerhouse Indiana 1-0. In 2000, Baum led the Spartans to an 11-6-2 record, including a 4-1-1 Big Ten mark, good for a second-place finish. The four conference wins were the most in school history and earned Baum his second Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. In 1996, he led the team to a mark of 12-5-2, which also earned him Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. In 1995, Baum guided the Green and White booters to a mark of 12-3-3, his highest seasonal winning percentage (.750) while at MSU and the program's best mark since 1975.

Baum also helped build MSU women's program, serving as the program's first head coach from 1986-90 and compiling an impressive 69-23-5 (.737) record.

Baum began his coaching career in 1969 at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville as an assistant to Bob Guelker. From there, he took a similar post at Wisconsin-Green Bay from 1972-74.

In 1974, Baum came to Michigan State as an assistant to Ed Rutherford. Baum held the position for three seasons, helping State post a record of 25-7-3 (.757). He was promoted to the head coaching position in 1977 when Rutherford stepped down to serve as a full-time administrative assistant to then-Athletics Director Joe Kearney.

In 30 seasons, Baum has built the Spartan program into a consistent winner. During his tenure, he has coached such Spartan greats as forward Tom Doherty (34 goals from 1982-85) along with goalkeepers Paul Zimmerman (29 shutouts from 1982-85) and Reid Friedrichs (Big Ten Player of the Year in 1996). Two players from the 2004 Big Ten Tournament Championship team, Jordan Gruber and John Minagawa-Webster, played professional soccer while Ryan McMahon earned a full-roster contract from the Kansas City Wizards of the MLS in the spring of 2007. In addition, since the Big Ten Conference's sponsorship of men's soccer in 1991, 34 different players have garnered 50 berths on all-conference teams.

A three-year soccer letterman at MSU from 1966-68, Baum led the Spartan booters to a 33-1-7 record, including a 33-game unbeaten streak. He was in goal for two NCAA co-championship squads and was named to the 1968 All-Midwest team by the National Soccer Coaches of America. Baum still owns the second-lowest career goals-against average (0.70) in Spartan men's soccer history.

Baum received his bachelor's degree in communications from MSU in 1969 and a master's degree in counseling from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in 1971.

Baum resides in Okemos and his family includes his wife, Janice, along with children, Stefan and Kelsey.