Juan Franco's goal with the Morton College women's soccer program is to duplicate the same success he has had coaching the men's soccer team. Franco already is hard at work, getting 16 student-athletes to sign NJCAA Letters of Intent to play for the Panthers in 2015-16.
Franco, a former professional soccer player, has developed the Morton College men's soccer program into one of Region IV’s most consistent programs. Franco started Morton College’s movement into the modern-day soccer era by running a club team for two years before being appointed as head coach when the Panthers officially joined the intercollegiate ranks in 1998.
In those 17 seasons, the Panthers are 200-105-32 with a winning percentage of .641. Career win No. 200 was twice as nice because it came in the Region IV championship game against the College of DuPage Nov. 1, 2014. The 3-1 win gave Franco the milestone win as well as the program's first Region IV title and appearance in the Great Lakes District finals. He also became the 30th coach in NJCAA history at the Division I level to reach 200 wins. In 2015, Franco also will be the head women's soccer at Morton College.
Morton College enters the 2015 season with 11 consecutive winning seasons (138-60-20, .679). This remarkable run surpassed the College’s all-time best for consecutive winning campaigns – previously held by men’s basketball with 10 consecutive winning campaigns from 1995-96 to 2004-05 under coach Tony Amarino.
During the 2013 season, the Panthers also enjoyed success in the classroom. Carlos Leon was one of five Morton College student-athletes named a National Junior College Athletic Association Academic Student-Athlete Award. Also, nine men's soccer players were named to the Illinois Skyway's All-Freshman Academic Team.
Morton College’s community is a hotbed of soccer and the Panthers have contributed to that success by completing 15 winning seasons in Franco’s 17-year tenure. During the last five years, Morton College’s winning percentage is .723 (87-30-11).
Franco’s impact on the Morton College program was immediate as he was named the Illinois Skyway Conference College’s Coach of the Year in just his second season on the job as an intercollegiate program in 1999. Franco’s teams have produced two conference titles (1999 and 2007) in the highly-competitive Skyway Conference, in which seven of the eight member schools have claimed the top spot at least once since 2000.
In 2007, the Panthers were undefeated for 53 days (14-0-1) and were ranked as high as 15th in the NJCAA Division I polls.
During Franco’s tenure, the Panthers have produced 57 First Team and 50 Second Team all-conference players. The Panthers also have had 18 First Team and 31 Second Team all-Region IV selections as well.
Born in Mexico, Franco met the soccer great Pele at a youth clinic and became hooked on the sport. Franco was greatly influenced by the experience and still delivers Pele’s message about soccer to his players today.
Franco played on Mexico’s Sub-20 National Team before moving to Atlas, a professional soccer organization. He came to the United States and was the individual scoring champion in the Hispano Soccer League in Chicago from 1977 to 1983. He was the league’s Player of the Year in 1982.
Two years later, Franco played professionally indoors for the Chicago Vultures of the American Indoor Soccer League. One of his teammates with the Vultures was Cicero native and former NASL player Aleks Mihailovic.
Franco has a USA Soccer D License with the National Soccer Coaches of America.
