FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock introduced Schellas Hyndman as the fifth head coach in team history at a press conference held Tuesday at Pizza Hut Park. Schellas Hyndman (pronounced SHELL-us HIGHND-mun) joins FC Dallas after 31 seasons as a college head coach, the past 24 as the head coach of nearby Southern Methodist University (SMU). The 58-year-old will assume the leadership of the team effective immediately, with his first game at the helm this Saturday, June 21 when FC Dallas visits the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium.
"We feel that Schellas is the right type of leader for this team to help us reach our potential," said Hitchcock. "He is a passionate leader, a strong leader. A trademark of the teams Schellas has coached is that they are disciplined, hard-working, they fight for one another, and they are difficult to play against. And I think that's a direct reflection of the type of leader Schellas is. And that's the type of leader that we need here at FC Dallas."
Hyndman ranks fourth all-time in victories among Division 1 coaches, posting an all-time college record of 466-122-49, which includes a record of 368-98-38 at SMU and 98-24-11 at Eastern Illinois University. In 31 years as coach, he has led his schools to 30 NCAA playoff appearances, 11 quarterfinals and three Division 1 final fours.
"This is a very special day for me and my family," said Hyndman. "I want to thank the Hunt Sports Group, John Wagner, and especially Michael Hitchcock to have faith in me to give me this opportunity to coach FC Dallas. All of us that are competitors, we all strive to do something special, and I think this is the opportunity to do something special. My goals are very simple: to continue to find success for FC Dallas, to compete for an MLS championship, and to make Dallas very proud of the team that we put on the field."
Born in Macau (China) to a Portuguese father and Russian mother, Hyndman lived in China until the age of eight, when his family moved Springfield, Ohio. He attended and played football at Butler High School, while playing club soccer with the Dayton Edelweiss Soccer Club.
Hyndman received a soccer scholarship to attend Eastern Illinois University, where he was part of the 1969 NAIA national championship team, and also earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1973. For the next two years, he was a graduate student and soccer coach at Murray State University, obtaining a master's degree in physical education and recreation in 1975.
After playing one season with the Cincinnati Comets of the American Soccer League in 1975, Hyndman moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he was an apprentice at Escola Graduada de Sao Paulo and trained regularly with Sao Paulo FC.
He returned to Eastern Illinois and earned a degree in guidance and counseling in 1977. That same year, he started his soccer coaching career by becoming his school's head coach. From 1977-1983, the Panthers soccer program posted a record of 98-24-11 under Hyndman, reaching the NCAA Division II finals in 1979 and the Division I finals in it's first year in 1981, which earned Hyndman the National Coach of the Year honor.
Hyndman took over the SMU soccer program in 1984, and has become one of the top college coaches over the past 24 years. He led SMU to 11 quarterfinal appearances in the past 20 years, and earned eight league Coach of the Year honors (WAC: 1997, 1998, 1999; MVC: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004; Conference USA: 2006).
Twenty one players that played for Hyndman at SMU have been drafted by MLS clubs since 1996, including seven first round selections. Fourteen of these players have appeared in a combined 714 regular season games since 1996. SMU ranks 7th among schools whose players have appeared in MLS games.
On October 20, 2007, Hyndman was enshrined into the Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame at Pizza Hut Park, along with Kenny Cooper Sr., an honor given to those who have made significant contributions to the sport of soccer in Texas.
Hyndman, who also holds a 10th degree black belt in karate, is married to Kami and the couple have three children, Tony, Jaime and Tamara.
