Former Marian University men’s soccer coach Criag Peltonen has been inducted into the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame.

Peltonen spent 35 seasons at the helm of the Marian University men’s soccer program and spent time as the head coach for women’s soccer and men’s tennis at Marian.  He helped guide the Sabres to six Lake Michigan Conference (LMC) Championships, three consecutive appearances to the NCAA Tournament, and 262 total victories under his leadership.  Peltonen was named the LMC/NACC Coach of the Year eight times, NAIA District Co-Coach of the Year once, and was inducted to the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association (WSCA) Hall of Fame in 2012.

During the LMC era of Sabre men’s soccer, Peltonen boasted a 108-40-8 (.718) record.  The Sabres had four seasons without losing an LMC match and four seasons with double-digit wins on the overall record.  Along with his seven LMC Coach of the Year awards, Peltonen coached two NAIA All-Americans and three LMC Player of the Year honorees.  Peltonen also led the Sabres to 56 wins in the NACC era along with four NACC Tournament appearances.   His final season at Marian saw him lead the Sabres to a 10-7-2 record with a 7-3-2 NACC record earning him his final Coaching Staff of the Year award.

Along with being the winningest coach in the history of the men’s soccer program, Peltonen is also the winningest coach for the Marian women’s soccer program.  Peltonen headed the Sabre women’s soccer program from 1990 to 2006, with the exception of the 1999 season, and posted 94 wins.  His best season with the women’s soccer program came in 1994 where the Sabres earned their lone conference championship after going 3-0-1 in LMC play.  Marian would have a pair of seasons with double-digit wins.

Peltonen worked with several club programs in Wisconsin along with his coaching at Marian including the Milwaukee Bavarians, Milwaukee Kickers, Fond du Lac, and Elm Grove. He also served on the Board of Directors for Fond du Lac Soccer Association and the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association. For many years he was involved with the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association and their Olympic Development Program, along with their Coach Education licensing program.

For more information on the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame please visit https://wisoccerhalloffame.com/.