Not all stories have exciting beginnings. The best ones are quiet and honest, and underscored by love.John Paskvalich admits to being “a very average athlete” at St. Joseph High School.” He “ran a little cross country and track” and was captain of the swim team that started during his senior year. His resume includes no collegiate athletic experience. When he was five years into his tenure at Romeoville High School, “Pask” was sponsoring Student Council and running the school’s intramural program when Bolingbrook Athletic Director Norm Dalton asked him to head up their new soccer program on an interim basis while he searched for someone to fill the role permanently. The story of Coach Pask’s first win was highlighted in a Jack McCarthy article for the Chicago Tribune during the fall of 2000 high school season. It reads, “John Paskvalich chuckles when asked about his first win as a high school soccer coach. The sole victory earned during his first season as a varsity head coach was actually a loss. ‘The first year we were 0-for-everything […] it was a ‘technical victory’ because Argo had used an ineligible player at the end of the year. So it was a rather dubious win."Five years later Paskvalich made the move to Naperville Central high school, and thirty years after that, he retired as the Redhawks’ all-time winningest soccer coach, piling up 295 wins at NCHS and finishing his career with 321 total victories.The Redskin soccer program was in its infancy when Coach Pask took the helm, going 3-13-3 in his first season. Less than a decade later, Paskvalich had grown the program into a powerhouse in the state of Illinois, advancing to a state championship game in 1988. Countless players earned a variety of post season recognitions thanks to Pask’s guidance, including 27 All-Sectional designations, 15 All-State recognitions, and 4 All-Midwest honorees. Included in the group are fellow member of the 2019 Hall of Fame class Mark Ehlert, himself a two-time All-State selection, and current member Jim Davidson, who was inducted in 2017. Davidson no doubt spoke on behalf of years-worth of former athletes when he honored John Paskvalich for being a major force in his own growth as a player and ultimately as a National Coach of the Year recipient. He said, “Coach Pask is an incredible man and my coaching mentor whom I’ve modeled much of own coaching career after; his ability to communicate straightforwardly and connect personally with me was instrumental in both my playing and coaching success.” Another former player, current Redhawk soccer coach Troy Adams adds, “The thing I remember most was his passion and love of soccer. You could tell that he enjoyed being at practice and wanted the players to enjoy the game as much as he did. He also didn't let a win or a loss define the game and what the team had accomplished.” In addition to his former players’ assessments, there’s no shortage of administrative and coaching colleagues lining up to praise Paskvalich for his patient demeanor and soccer acumen. Retired NCHS Athletic Director Marty Bee remarked, “Paski's knowledge and understanding of the game were outstanding, and he was able to maintain an even disposition as he helped his teams grow.” John Paskvalich’s gift for mentoring young athletes was equaled only by his ability to mentor young coaches. Current girls soccer coach Ed Watson reflects on Pask’s patient demeanor, recalling fondly, “We would sit in the old Coaches Locker Room after games and dissect what we learned about our team and what we could do in the next practice session to continue to improve. My growth as a soccer coach can be directly attributed to those conversations. When the girls’ varsity coaching position opened up, Pask encouraged me to go for it. He then assumed a mentoring role for me as my JV coach. He is an Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Hall of Famer for his work with the boys’ programs at both Bolingbrook and Naperville Central, but what people may not understand is how great a coach he was to the girls here at Central. Any girl that was trained at the JV level was mental prepared for the demands of the varsity level.” Longtime soccer assistant Barry Baldwin declared, “He has forgotten more about soccer than most coaches will ever know. His knowledge and understanding of the game is unmatched by anyone. Through my years coaching with Pask, he was always willing to come and watch your level and give input on anything from possession charts to formation analysis. Pask’s input was a direct benefit to a team and program’s success.” Not just a respected coach, John Paskvalich was also a highly regarded member of the Naperville Central math department. Pask recalls, “I always enjoyed my time in the classroom,” and admits, “I was especially fond of my Honors Geometry class. I enjoyed teaching those freshmen and eighth graders, with their desire to learn new things and their joy for learning math. As I told them, ‘Let’s not let the curriculum get in the way of our education’.” Paskvalich remembers vividly two student-athletes in particular: watching Candace Parker get her daily bundle of recruiting mail during his Advanced Algebra class, and advising one of his soccer captains, Jim Sonefeld, another Advanced Algebra student, that he “needed to spend a little less time on the drums and a bit more on his math homework.” Sonefeld would go on to win a Grammy Award in 1996 as the drummer for Hootie and the Blowfish. John Paskvalich insisted that both his athletes and his students strive to be the best version of themselves both in the classroom and on the field, but was quick to share the credit when they succeeded. True to his character, he noted, “I have been fortunate at NCHS to have a good athletes come up through the program on a regular basis. I was also fortunate to have assistant coaches like Jim Braun, Ed Watson, Paul Zientarski, and Dave Sladkey who stayed with the program for most of my time at Central.” Despite his natural modesty, his colleagues celebrated with him when he was inducted into the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005.There doesn’t exist a singular blueprint for what makes a good coach, and if there were, success as a player would certainly not be a required prerequisite. The best high school coaches are leaders who inspire their athletes, empower their captains, and know how to patiently communicate with all kinds of personalities. Pask, a man of few, but powerful words, was a remarkable teacher-coach who knew exactly what he loved and what he wanted: To make the story about others.