Houghton University Athletics

Ron spent his formative years in Haiti, where his family served as missionaries, but they moved to Houghton when Ron was in sixth grade and he attended nearby by Fillmore Central, where he soon became a soccer standout. When not on the Fillmore soccer field, Ron could be found hanging out with the Houghton men’s soccer team, where he served as a ball boy along with his best friend Steve, who just so happened to be the son of coach Doug Burke.
 
It was inevitable Ron would end up at Houghton and he says he was blessed to play for his “second father” Coach Burke. He was also blessed to play a season with Houghton legend Patrick Okafor, a player Ron grew up idolizing. Ron soon earned a nickname from Patrick and the three other Nigerian players on the roster. Roughly translated, he was called the wild dog that never stops running.
 
Coach Burke points to Ron’s excellent physical conditioning, passing ability and defending skills that allowed him to contribute immediately as a freshman midfielder. “He hustled, worked hard and was enthusiastic. He could run all day and pulled a lot of others along with him,” said the legendary coach, who assigned freshman Ron to defend the best offensive player for Spring Arbor in the 1976 NAIA National Tournament.
 
During his time as a Highlander, Ron played on two NAIA National Tournament teams and helped the team to a 51-20-8 record. As a sophomore he was named Second Team NAIA All-District 31 and as a junior he earned First Team NCCAA All-District Honors and was a NSCA All-New York State selection.
 
His senior year, the team finished 17-2 and was ranked as high as No. 4 in the NAIA. Ron had his best season statistically with three goals and eight assists in his final campaign. Many of those assists went to his friend Steve Burke, who transferred back to finish his career at Houghton.
 
After leaving Houghton, Ron went on to a 20 year teaching career in Florida, and also spent 13 years as a varsity soccer coach at Gulf High School in Port Richey. He guided his teams to 208 wins, 75 losses and 6 ties and a 4A state final four appearance in 1990.
 
His passion for soccer never wavered. He served as the field coordinator for the Tampa Bay Mutiny and a camp director for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and also was field production coordinator for the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympics.
 
Now retired from teaching and coaching, Ron is a licensed blacksmith and works as a farrier, a move that has renewed Ron’s childhood passion for horses. Ron joked the other day that Coach Burke is fortunate that the Houghton Equestrian Center was still a dairy farm when Ron came in as a freshman.

Ron and his wife Karen live in New Port Richey, Fla., where they are active in their local church Calvary Chapel.