Area soccer coach gets 300th milestone victory

By Ron Johnston, rjohnston@mariettatimes.com
Thursday, September 27, 2007

PARKERSBURG — Don Fosselman never played the game.

But when the Parkersburg High boys’ soccer mentor’s oldest son Donnie needed a coach, he stepped up, and the rest is pretty much history.

That was way back in the late 1980s.

Fast-forward to 2007, and after 20 years at the PHS helm, Fosselman has become synonymous with prep soccer — not only in Wood County but throughout the state of West Virginia.

On Sept. 13, Fosselman reached a milestone 300 career victories when the Big Reds blanked St. Albans, 6-0.

Currently, he is 304-70-47.

“It just goes to show you that if you stay at something long enough, something like that can happen,” said Fosselman, who has guided the red and white booters to four state championships (1996, 1997, 2005 and 2006).

Interestingly, Fosselman’s Big Red booters are 6-8-6 versus Marietta High in the all-time series dating back to 1988.

If two-time defending state champion PHS, currently 13-2, should happen to advance, and claim the crown again this November in Beckley, W.Va. that would be another first for him. Only Buckhannon-Upshur has won three consecutive state titles in boys soccer in the state.

Not too shabby for a fellow who’s never scored a goal or ever saved one on the pitch.

But while Fosselman never played soccer (because it wasn’t offered at Connellsville (Pa.) High, he’s still a very athletic individual — even to this day. During the early morning hour, he and fellow runner Alan Hatmaker can often be seen on the streets of Parkersburg.

As a prep competitor, Fosselman ran cross country and track. So, how good was he? Very.

After high school graduation, he was awarded a scholarship to run at West Virginia University in Morgantown. As a thinclad, he covered the mile in 4 minutes and 4 seconds.

Fosselman also served in the U.S. Army, and was scheduled to be shipped to Vietnam before America’s involvement in the war ceased.

Later, Fosselman would receive a master’s degree at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Ultimately, he and wife, Sherry — who he first met in Morgantown, W.Va. — would end up in Parkersburg, where both have become longtime teachers in the Wood County School District.

Along the way, the Fosselmans started a family, and have raised two sons, Donnie and David. They are now the proud grand-parents of two grandsons, Cameron and Nick.

Currently, Fosselman teaches elementary physical education at Neale School, and also coaches junior high track at Hamilton in the spring.

In the fall, though, the name of the game is soccer in the Fosselman household.

During Fosselman’s first year at the soccer helm in 1988, PHS compiled a 15-2-1 record. In 20 years of coaching, the program has never experienced a losing season.

In September of 2002, Fosselman’s Big Reds shut out George Washington, 2-0, for milestone victory No. 200.

Not surprisingly, Fosselman has earned numerous coaching awards — locally, statewide and nationally. He puts it all into perspective, though.

“My wife keeps me level-headed,” Fosselman said. “And I really don’t get into this award stuff too much.”