DEKALB, Ill. – Former Northern Illinois University men's soccer head coach Willy Roy received the 2025 Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award at the United Soccer Coaches convention this past weekend in Chicago. Roy guided the Huskies from 1987-2002 and is a member of the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Roy came to NIU in 1987 and guided the Huskies for 16 seasons, compiling a 141-131-22 overall record. He was named then National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now United Soccer Coaches) Division I Regional Coach of the Year in 1989 after leading the Huskies to a then program record 14 victories. The following season, Roy led NIU to a Mid-Continent Conference championship and was named the 1990 Mid-Con Coach of the Year.
During his tenure at NIU, Roy's three sons, Willy Jr., Karsten and Markus, were all standouts for the Huskies, earning multiple all-conference and all-region honors. For their collective contributions to NIU men's soccer, the Roy Family was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
Roy played professionally for the Chicago Spurs in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) before spending time with the Kansas City Spurs, Saint Louis Stars and Chicago Sting in the North American Soccer League (NASL). He earned 20 caps (appearances) with the United States men's national team, making his debut against Mexico in a World Cup Qualifier in 1965. Roy scored nine goals for the national team, including the first goal for the US national team at Mexico's famed Azteca Stadium in a World Cup Qualifier in 1972.
After retiring as a player, Roy joined the Chicago Sting coaching staff, spending two seasons as an assistant before taking over as head coach in 1979. Roy led the Sting to NASL Championships in 1981 and 1984 and was named the NASL Coach of the Year in 1984.
Roy is also a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1989.
The Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually in recognition of, and thanks for, a lifetime of dedication to preserving the spirit of the game of soccer, advancing its level of play and promoting its growth among youth and adults nationwide. Among its previous recipients are Bruce Arena (2003), Bob Bradley (2021), Anson Dorrance (1997) Jill Ellis (2020), Sigi Schmid (2011) and Jerry Yeagley (1996).
