John Ross knew it was time to make the transition.

In 2000, the current NIU women’s coach was hanging onto the last thread of his career as a goalkeeper, trying out for the Chicago Sockers of the Premier Development League. Early in the season, coach Brett Hall approached him and told him it was time for him to move onto the next stage of his career.

“Brett nicely asked me if I wanted to be a goalkeeper coach instead of a goalkeeper,” Ross said. “I knew it was over. I was trying to get a couple more games, a couple more practices.”