Worth Noting:
- Served as interim head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team in 1991, compiling a 2-0-1 record
- Also coached the Tampa Bay Mutiny of MLS and was the first head coach of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Walt Chyzowych Memorial Fund Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in 2018
- Four NEC regular-season championships in men’s soccer (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996)
- Two NEC Tournament championships in men’s soccer (1993, 1994)
- Two-time NEC Coach of the Year in men’s soccer (1992, 1995)
- NEC Coach of the Year in women’s soccer (2015)
When John Kowalski was inducted into the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC's first Hall of Fame class in July 2019, it was the fifth time he was so honored in his long coaching career.
Now entering his 19th season as the head coach of the Robert Morris University women’s soccer team, Kowalski is applying the same expertise to women’s college soccer that he has used on the professional and world stage.
Within the local, national, and international soccer communities, Kowalski has been just about everywhere and done just about everything: futsal team coach and player, college head coach at the NCAA Division I and II levels, U.S. National Team interim head coach, and Major League Soccer (MLS) and A-League head coach.
Prior to his second stint at Robert Morris, Kowalski was the head coach of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, where he compiled a 26-26-4 record in two seasons as the franchise’s first head coach. In 1999, he led the Riverhounds to a second-round playoff appearance and the A-League “Franchise of the Year” award. From 1997-98, Kowalski coached the Tampa Bay Mutiny of MLS, leading the team to a playoff berth in 1997.
On September 28, 2004, Kowalski was inducted into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame. In January of 2002, Kowalski was inducted into the Connecticut Hall of Fame, and in October of 2000, he was inducted into the RMU Athletics Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as the head coach of the men’s soccer team.
Most recently, Kowalski led the Colonials’ women’s soccer team to the program’s first NEC Tournament in 2015. That team finished with an overall record of 10-11-0 and a 5-3-0 conference mark, and advanced to the NEC Championship Game with a 2-1 victory over Bryant in the league semifinals.
In his first stint as head coach of RMU, Kowalski guided the men’s soccer team from 1989-96, helping the Colonials become the first squad other than men’s basketball to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in 1993 and 1994. During his tenure, Robert Morris ranked as high as No. 16 nationally in 1995, won four NEC regular-season championships (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996), and two NEC Tournament titles in 1993 and 1994.
While serving as head coach of the men’s soccer team, Kowalski spent 10 years (1986-96) as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Futsal Team, bringing home a second-place medal at the 1992 FIFA World Championships. The silver medal represents the best finish by a United States men’s team in a Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) sanctioned event.
On January 20, 2018, Kowalski was honored for his work with the U.S. Futsal Team as he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Walt Chyzowych Memorial Fund.
“Not only have I had the good fortune of playing with and coaching against many of previous (Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award) winners,” said Kowalski. “I am delighted to now be named to this distinguished list. It truly is one of the highlights of my career.”
Kowalski also coached the U.S. Under-20 Team in 1993-94 and served as interim head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team in 1991, putting together a 1-0-1 record. Between 1979-85, Kowalski coached in the Major Indoor Soccer League, spending two seasons with the Cincinnati Kids, two with the Hartford Hellions, and four with the Pittsburgh Spirit, compiling a 106-82 record.
Kowalski is a 1973 graduate of the University of New Haven, where he was a four-year letterwinner for the men’s soccer team and earned an undergraduate degree in commercial art and advertising. Kowalski began his coaching career in 1973 as an assistant coach at New Haven while playing professionally for the New Britain Falcons of the Connecticut Soccer League. He helped guide New Haven to five NCAA Division II Tournaments. Kowalski also played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League for both the Kids in 1978-79 and the Spirit in 1979-80.
Kowalski and his wife, Pat, reside in Sewickley, Pa. His daughter, Kaylene, currently attends the University of Pittsburgh.
