John Klein Inducted into St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame

Southeast Missouri women’s soccer head coach John Klein was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at a ceremony held at the River City Casino in St. Louis [Southeast Missouri State University Athletics].

Player Career Highlights

Klein began his collegiate soccer career at Duke University in 1983, playing for two seasons before transferring to Saint Louis University in 1985, where he completed his college career [Wikipedia]. He was inducted into the Saint Louis Billikens Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995 [Wikipedia].

Following his graduation from SLU, Klein played professionally for eight years. His outdoor career included stints with the Colorado Foxes of the American Professional Soccer League (1990-91) and the Miami Freedom in 1992 [Southeast Missouri State University Athletics]. He also had a successful indoor career, playing for the Kansas City Comets (1990-91) and St. Louis Storm (1989-90; 1991-92) and the St. Louis Ambush (1992-96) [Southeast Missouri State University Athletics]. He was a member of the St. Louis Ambush team that won the 1995 National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) Championship [St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame].

Coaching Career Achievements

Klein has established himself as a highly successful coach, particularly at Columbia College. As head coach of the Columbia College men’s program, he amassed a record of 343-124-50, leading the team to 13 NAIA National Tournament appearances, three Elite Eight appearances, and three Final Four appearances [St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame]. His men’s teams won 22 American Midwest Conference (AMC) league/tournament titles, and he received nine AMC and Region Coach of the Year honors [St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame].

He also achieved significant success coaching the Columbia College women’s program, compiling a record of 215-50-13 with 12 NAIA National Tournament appearances, one Elite Eight, and one Final Four appearance [St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame]. His women’s teams secured 21 AMC league/tournament titles, and he was named AMC Coach of the Year eleven times [St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame].

Currently, Klein serves as the head coach of the Southeast Missouri State women’s soccer team, having taken the position in 2025 [Southeast Missouri State University Athletics].

Honors and Recognition

Klein was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame alongside Jenni Burton Anderson, Tim Berra, Larry Julius, Sean McManus, John Stone, Nick Traina, Shane Battelle, Jackie Billet, Erv Pesek and Tom Strunk [Southeast Missouri State University Athletics].