FORMER SOCCER STAND-OUT RECALLS FOND MEMORIES OF ROCKFORD

Louis Mateus ’85 hadn’t even visited Rockford University before deciding to attend in the early 1980s, but he had no doubt that it would be a great fit for him. He grew up in Azores, Portugal before his family moved to Massachusetts when he was 16 years old.

What made him choose to enroll with blind faith was the university’s soccer team. He was recruited by then soccer coach Paul Banta and appreciated the caring and engaging personalities of all the coaching staff, as well as the caliber of the team.

During his time at Rockford University, Mateus kept himself busy by participating in a number of clubs and activities, including the Spanish Club and intramural sports. Coach Banta required the soccer team to get involved in the community through volunteering every week. Mateus fondly recalls volunteering with the Rockford United Soccer Club during this time.

Mateus graduated in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation, predecessor to the sports management degree. He said his memories of attending Rockford are plentiful, but what he appreciated most was how people made him feel throughout his four years at the university.

“As a foreign kid, English was a challenge, but every faculty and staff member was there to help me,” Mateus said.

He added that he was the first in his family to both earn a high school diploma and graduate from college — something he’s deeply proud of.

Immediately after graduating, Mateus signed a soccer contract with the Milwaukee Wave professional indoor soccer team, and he played for them for the next seven years. During that time, he was named the head soccer coach for National Louis University in Chicago, where he started the college’s first men's soccer team.

“The goal was to give inner-city kids the opportunity to go to college,” Mateus said. “Ninety-nine percent of those kids were minorities from the city of Chicago. They were kids just like me at that time.”

After four years, Mateus was hired by Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, as the head soccer coach and he started their women’s team. Then, nine years later, Mateus moved back to Rockford, where he’s spent the past 20-plus years as the Over the years, Mateus has made a point to stay connected with the university he’s so fond of. In 1997, he took over the the role as Rockford University’s head men’s soccer coach when the program was at its lowest, going without wins for two years. In the four years he held the role of head coach, the team never had a losing record.

In honor of his successful soccer career, Mateus was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996 – another point of pride for him.

For the last 26 years, his wife, Jennifer, has been by his side. The couple have two sons: Mathis, who is in his third year at New England College of Optometry, and Tanner, who is a junior at Benedictine University.

Mateus will always be grateful for his time at Rockford University and for the sport of soccer, which gave him the opportunity to pursue and earn a college degree.