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DePaul Athletic Development Staff

Thad Dohrn tdohrn@depaul.edu Lemone Lampley llampley1@depaul.edu Marge Mazik mmazik@depaul.edu Mario Stula mstula1@depaul.eduMolly Creek mcreek@depaul.edu

CLICK HEREMAKE A GIFT

Phone: 773-325-7240

Since you graduated from DePaul, where have you been playing/what teams?

I have played in numerous leagues around the Chicagoland area, some more competitive than others, which include outdoor, indoor, futsal and coed leagues along with various tournaments including the Chicago Beach Summer tournament, where we were coed champions! I also played with FC Indiana last summer on a semi-professional level in the Elite league, which was the highest soccer league in the U.S. with the women’s pro league on hold, where I was able to play with and against multiple national team and pro players! I was only able to play the 2nd half of the season as I was still taking a full-time class load and working part-time as a research assistant in the Community Psychol-ogy PhD Doctoral Program at DePaul. Additionally, I played a tournament in Queretaro, Mexico as part of a US all-star team from Chicago leagues versus teams from several other countries, which we ended up winning the Championship and I won the Golden Boot award, and was even offered a spot on a University team in Mexico!

What has been your favorite game memory so far while playing overseas

I am only in Dublin, Ireland for 3 months for a Global Growth Experience during my 3rd year in the Doctoral program, but have been able to connect with Shamrock Rovers FC who play in highest women’s league in Ireland, the Bus Eireann Women’s National League! Awaiting my international clearance to play official matches, I have been able to play 2 friendly matches with the team so far. I enjoyed being able to start both matches as a left winger/forward, helping my team win both games with two goals in each game! It was an amazing experience to play for the 1st time overseas and to get support from my teammates and coaching staff in helping secure the victories and hearing the crowd shout with excitement! The coaching staff mentioned that they read the ESPN article about my career at DePaul and the highlight during my senior year with 4 straight wins in the begin-ning of the season and where my goal against #11 ranked Mizzou helped lead us to being ranked #20 nationally for the 1st time in history! They were impressed and very excited to bring me on as an American player. Practicing and playing on a European pitch has been a surreal opportunity that I am very thankful for! It also helps when the coaching staff, teammates, and Ireland soccer supporters ask if I can stay to play for the rest of the season and come back for the following season as well! Such a great experience!

What do you miss most about the States?

I miss all of my teammates back home as well as my family and loved ones, as it is hard to compare any city to where I grew up, Chicago!

Where are you hoping to play next?

I would love to play in the UEFA Women’s Cham-pions League and would love to experience playing in other soccer passionate countries such as Spain and Brazil. Of course my dream has always been to play on the US Women’s National Team but I am happy to say that I have been able to play a practice match/game with the pro-team Chicago Red Stars and was able play side-by-side with many great National and Pro players there as well!

What has been the coolest non soccer experience you have experienced in any of the countries you have been?

I am currently traveling to Spain, Paris, and Rome and have loved every moment of visiting these beautiful countries filled with wonderful architecture and cultural events! A hard to top experience, still related to soccer, is definitely attending the Clasico game to watch my all-time favorite team, FC Barcelona versus rival Real Madrid, getting to watch my favorite player and #1 player in the world currently, Lionel Messi, at their home pitch at Camp Nou in Barcelona for the Gold Cup semi-final match! One of the most amazing experiences of my life to see the 2 best teams live with an intense soccer atmosphere! One of my favorite experiences was also attending the Irish TradFest, an annual festival of Irish traditional music and dance, and getting interviewed by The Gathering about my experiences in Ireland and enjoying the traditional events, which they posted on their website and in a youtube video!

Anything else you would like to add?

My mother has been my greatest source of support and care, helping me realize that with dedication I can reach any goal I set my mind to. And DePaul has also prepared me in multiple ways for all of these experiences, including strengthening my soccer skills, building my academics, and allowing me to pursue my plethora of dreams, guiding me towards many accomplish-ments that I am thankful for! I met a few of my fav soccer play-ers, including Ronaldinho in Chicago, another great of all-time, but am also looking forward to meeting Messi someday! I have watched numerous professional soccer teams and national teams play live around the world, enjoying every second of the passion-filled stadiums, including Mia Hamm’s last Soldier Field match before she retired!

What has been your favorite meal and snack while being overseas

I have really enjoyed the pasta dishes, as well as all of the healthy meals in Dublin including various vegetables and mul-tiple potato dishes. Also, the Spanish paella meals are delish!

Favorites: Movie, Sports Movie, Book, Author, Quote?Hobbies: dance, music, movies, spending time with my baby sister, traveling

Eric Kuchii: The ‘Unsung Hero’ at Walter Payton College Prep Updated March 20, 2013 6:11amMarch 20, 2013 6:11am | By Justin Breen, DNAinfo Senior Editor

NEAR NORTH SIDE — In the early-to-mid 1990s, Eric Kuchii was a North Shore soccer legend at Evanston Township High School for his summersault-style throw-ins.

While holding the ball, Kuchii could spin and, as momentum carried him over, release ridiculously long throws — much farther than the average Joe.

But when Kuchii went to DePaul University to play soccer in 1995, he started throwing in the ball overhand style, like everyone else.

“I didn’t want to be known for a gimmick,” Kuchii said. “I just wanted to be known as a soccer player.”

Kuchii’s modesty has carried over to his teaching role at Walter Pay-ton College Prep, where the 35-year-old is considered a hero for his dedication to the school’s nine autistic special education students.

The Jefferson Park resident is a full-time physical education teacher and coaches the boys soccer team, but he also spends as many as 10 hours a week — unpaid — to coach the autistic children in several Special Olympics sports for the last eight years.

Kuchii became “hooked” on the special education students while teaching them in Adaptive Physical Education, which pairs special and general ed kids. As time went on, Kuchii wanted to do “more and more” to help them.

Kuchii’s mother, Jan, said her son has gone as far as to choose coaching Special Olympians instead of attending family trips or par-ties.

Special education teacher Sarah Spencer, of Old Town, said Kuchii has made the athletes his priority.

“I feel there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for those guys,” she said.

“Sweetness” himself was a special education major when he gradu-ated from Jackson State in 1975. It’s likely he would have been extremely proud of Kuchii’s efforts at the high school named after him.

Kuchii eats most of his lunches with the autistic students, who are all boys. After his regular class day ends, he usually heads to the school’s self-contained autistic classroom, where he’ll help the ath-letes learn skills for basketball, track and field, T-ball, bowling and, of course, soccer.

“Saturday mornings when most people aren’t doing anything, Eric’s out with those kids weightlifting or playing basketball,” said Paul Escobar, a Walter Payton physical education teacher and Wicker Park resident. “He loves the kids, and it’s completely genuine.”

Kuchii, who has taught at Payton for 11 years, also takes the special ed students next door to the pool at Moody Bible Institute for swim-ming lessons.

“You can see the results,” said Payton athletic director Arlene Bertoni-Mancine, of Armour Square. “He had kids that never knew how to swim, and now they can swim multiple laps in a pool. He wants them to be just like everybody else.”

Bertoni-Mancine has nominated Kuchii for the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s “Unsung Hero Award.” Spencer has put up Kuchii for the Golden Apple Award.

Kuchii has yet to claim either honor, but he doesn’t care about the accolades.

“Unless I really ask a lot, he definitely wouldn’t come home and brag about the great things he does,” said Kuchii’s wife, Lisa, a Chicago Police Officer who graduated from Resurrection High School and Columbia College.

Kuchii said he has the same passion coaching the autistic athletes as he does the ones on the boys soccer squad, which he’s led to several regional titles. He previously coached girls soccer, which also won regional championships.

That was evident watching Kuchii with the special ed students during a recent visit to the school.

“Every time I’m with these guys, it’s a new story,” Kuchii said. “I just love doing it, and being a part of it is just fun.”Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130320/old-town/eric-kuchii-unsung-hero-at-walter-payton-college-prep#ixzz2PVkUfBAz

Upcoming EventsApril 10Career Conference CallTime: 12 p.m.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1531

April 16Cardz for Kidz Volunteer ProjectTime: 6 p.m.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1690

April 6Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago CubsTime: 7:10 p.m.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1772

April 6Santa Anita Racetrack OutingTime: Noon.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1657

April 7New York City Chapter Guided Tour of MoMATime: 1:20 p.m.Link http://alumni.depaul.edu/events/EventDetail.aspx?event_id=1737

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MANY DREAMS. ONE MISSION. - THE CAMPAIGN FOR DEPAUL UNIVERSITYThe Many Dreams, One Mission Campaign for DePaul University is an historic initiative undertaken in support of one of America’s great universities. It will ensure that DePaul continues to deliver on our founding promise: an excellent education for any talented student who seeks it.

The Campaign supports dreams. Students come to DePaul from across the country and around the world. Their dreams are many and varied, individual to each, as our students come from all stations in life. Many are the first in their family to attend college.

The realization of their dreams gives rise to new dreams and strong communities.The Campaign sup-ports DePaul’s mission, a mission which blends opportunity and excellence, inquiry and discovery, ser-vice to the individual and benefit to the larger community. It is manifested in the work that goes on here every day, in libraries, classrooms, laboratories, practice rooms and on the stage in hours of solitude and moments of connection

ATHLETICS CAPITAL CAMPAIGN SURPASSES $10 MILLION MARKAthletics provides an avenue of opportunity for students at DePaul. Athletics also helps build community and enhance DePaul’s reputation locally and nationally. As part of DePaul’s Many Dreams. One Mission. Campaign, Athletics is charged with raising $14 million. Strategically, goals have been set to raise the gifts to support scholarship endowment, facility improvements and programmatic sup-port. As of March 15, DePaul Athletics had raised nearly 10.2 million dollarsINSURE OPPORTUNITY FOR TOMORROW, TODAY THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENTSDePaul Athletics fundraising efforts have focused on endowing scholarship and programming needs. Annually athletics spends nearly $5 million on scholarship expenses for its more than 200 student-athletes. By endowing scholarships, DePaul Athletics has the opportunity to enhance scholarships in some sports and redistribute available funding to maximize the department’s resources.A named scholarship requires a gift of $50,000. All gifts can be made in pledges over five years. Planned giving opportunities are also available. For more information, call Thad Dohrn at 773-325-7240.

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTEPHONEYou can make your gift by phone to Development Associate Marge Mazik at773-325-7240. We accept MasterCard, American Express, VISA and Discover.

MAILMake your check payable to DePaul University, and send your gift to:DePaul UniversityOffice of Development1 East Jackson Blvd.Chicago, IL 60604-2287

ONLINEUse our secure online form to make a credit card gift or pledge.CLICK HERE

ADDITIONAL WAYS TO GIVEDePaul University offers other ways to give, includ-ing: electronic funds transfers, recurringcredit card charges and stock transfers. For more information, call Mark Burns, 312-362-5651.