Celebrating more than 50 years! But how did Kennedy Boys Soccer get started?
Kennedy High School was founded in 1965. In the fall of 1967, Kennedy hockey coaches Bob Sharrow and Jerry Peterson found that very few hockey players were involved in a fall sport. Thinking they needed to do something to get their players physically active for hockey season, they started an after-school intramural program for kids who wanted to get in shape and have some fun. They learned that Russian hockey teams who were dominating the international hockey scene would use soccer as a training tool in the offseason.
The intramural soccer program was a big hit with students and they soon wondered why they couldn’t play against other schools. After asking athletic administrators, who talked with the High School League, they found that they could not play schools from other districts since soccer was not an approved sport by the MSHSL at that time. They could play the other high schools in the district since that would be an extramural sport. The hockey coaches at Kennedy called the hockey coaches at Lincoln and told them to get a team together so the schools could play against each other.
The private schools, known as the Minnesota Independent School League (MISL) was starting to play but they were not a part of the Minnesota State High School League and there were no official soccer teams in the public schools. Guido Kauls at Minnehaha Academy, was the real organizer and promoter of the private schools in the 1960s and he is the one who brought high school soccer as a sport to the private schools. The private schools were not allowed into the MSHSL at that time and the two leagues operated separately with the MISL (Minnehaha, Blake, Breck, SPA, Cretin, Benilde) running their own sports programs and tournaments. They ran a Private School State Soccer Tournament in the early years and were very important to the growth of soccer. In addition to Guido Kauls' involvement, Blake's Charlie Seal, SPA's Buzz Lagos and Benilde's Hank Schienhost were also very involved.
When students wanted to play against these schools, like we do now for conference play, they were told that we needed at least five schools in the Lake Conference willing to participate before the MSHSL would approve soccer as a sport. Five schools were interested in starting soccer as an official sport (Bloomington Kennedy, Bloomington Lincoln, Richfield, Edina, and St. Louis Park), so in 1968, the Lake Conference started high school soccer for boys and it was accepted as a sport in the public schools by the High School League. Rudy Martinago from Richfield and Les Sendry of Edina were also very involved in starting soccer in the Lake Conference.
The following year, 1969, every school in the Lake Conference had a soccer team as did many of the St. Paul Suburban schools and Minneapolis Washburn. Soccer was spreading around the state, and in the summers kids from Bloomington, Hopkins, Alexander Ramsey, Mounds View, Richfield, and Irondale would play against each other. After one year, Irondale's Glenn Beggin started the Junior Soccer League and the sport really took off.
In about 1972, the High School League Soccer Coaches Association was formed and Don Switzer of Bloomington Lincoln/Jefferson served as the first association President. From 1968-1973 teams were allowed to play only 12 games and there was no State Tournament but Richfield did win the mythical State Championship in 1968 and Kennedy won the mythical State Championship in 1969. That concept was then discontinued and the push for a State Tournament with the High School League began.
In 1973, the Minnesota High School League approved the first Minnesota State tournament with the Coaches Association running the tournament to prove it would be a successful tournment. (It was won by St. Louis Park, coached by Augie Schmidt.). In 1974, the High School League took over and has run the tournaments ever since. The private schools from the MISL were allowed to join the MSHSL at that time and are now a part of the MSHSL State Tournaments in all sports.
From the start in 1968 through 1986, Kennedy won more soccer games (208) than any school in Minnesota. Kennedy has won several Lake Championships and won the State Championship in 1981 and were runner-up in 1985. Soccer has grown in incredible ways over the years and Kennedy has played a very important role in its development.
Bloomington Kennedy has had only three head coaches since the inception of soccer as a High School League sport in 1968, in what has been a very stable and successful program.
Timeline of events regarding formation and State tournament for Kennedy Boys Soccer
1961 - first high school club soccer teams formed in Twin Cities
1965 - Kennedy High School was founded
1967 - intramural soccer program was started at Kennedy, mostly as a way for hockey players to train and stay fit during the hockey offseason
1968 - first year of Lake Conference soccer, made up of only five schools...Bloomington Kennedy, Bloomington Lincoln, Richfield, Edina and St. Louis Park
1974 - first year that State tournament was played
1981 - Kennedy State Champs
1985 - Kennedy State Runner-Up
1994 - Kennedy State Runner-Up
2020 - Kennedy State Qualifier/Section 2A Champs *** (unfortunately, there was no State tournament in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic concerns) ***
Last updated: December, 2023
Shown below are the three head coaches in our program's history. From left to right are Bruce Temte, Jerry Peterson, and Dan Bushendorf. Photo taken at Kennedy Boys Soccer Alumni Day Event in 2021.
Kennedy High School was founded in 1965. In the fall of 1967, Kennedy hockey coaches Bob Sharrow and Jerry Peterson found that very few hockey players were involved in a fall sport. Thinking they needed to do something to get their players physically active for hockey season, they started an after-school intramural program for kids who wanted to get in shape and have some fun. They learned that Russian hockey teams who were dominating the international hockey scene would use soccer as a training tool in the offseason.
The intramural soccer program was a big hit with students and they soon wondered why they couldn’t play against other schools. After asking athletic administrators, who talked with the High School League, they found that they could not play schools from other districts since soccer was not an approved sport by the MSHSL at that time. They could play the other high schools in the district since that would be an extramural sport. The hockey coaches at Kennedy called the hockey coaches at Lincoln and told them to get a team together so the schools could play against each other.
The private schools, known as the Minnesota Independent School League (MISL) was starting to play but they were not a part of the Minnesota State High School League and there were no official soccer teams in the public schools. Guido Kauls at Minnehaha Academy, was the real organizer and promoter of the private schools in the 1960s and he is the one who brought high school soccer as a sport to the private schools. The private schools were not allowed into the MSHSL at that time and the two leagues operated separately with the MISL (Minnehaha, Blake, Breck, SPA, Cretin, Benilde) running their own sports programs and tournaments. They ran a Private School State Soccer Tournament in the early years and were very important to the growth of soccer. In addition to Guido Kauls' involvement, Blake's Charlie Seal, SPA's Buzz Lagos and Benilde's Hank Schienhost were also very involved.
When students wanted to play against these schools, like we do now for conference play, they were told that we needed at least five schools in the Lake Conference willing to participate before the MSHSL would approve soccer as a sport. Five schools were interested in starting soccer as an official sport (Bloomington Kennedy, Bloomington Lincoln, Richfield, Edina, and St. Louis Park), so in 1968, the Lake Conference started high school soccer for boys and it was accepted as a sport in the public schools by the High School League. Rudy Martinago from Richfield and Les Sendry of Edina were also very involved in starting soccer in the Lake Conference.
The following year, 1969, every school in the Lake Conference had a soccer team as did many of the St. Paul Suburban schools and Minneapolis Washburn. Soccer was spreading around the state, and in the summers kids from Bloomington, Hopkins, Alexander Ramsey, Mounds View, Richfield, and Irondale would play against each other. After one year, Irondale's Glenn Beggin started the Junior Soccer League and the sport really took off.
In about 1972, the High School League Soccer Coaches Association was formed and Don Switzer of Bloomington Lincoln/Jefferson served as the first association President. From 1968-1973 teams were allowed to play only 12 games and there was no State Tournament but Richfield did win the mythical State Championship in 1968 and Kennedy won the mythical State Championship in 1969. That concept was then discontinued and the push for a State Tournament with the High School League began.
In 1973, the Minnesota High School League approved the first Minnesota State tournament with the Coaches Association running the tournament to prove it would be a successful tournment. (It was won by St. Louis Park, coached by Augie Schmidt.). In 1974, the High School League took over and has run the tournaments ever since. The private schools from the MISL were allowed to join the MSHSL at that time and are now a part of the MSHSL State Tournaments in all sports.
From the start in 1968 through 1986, Kennedy won more soccer games (208) than any school in Minnesota. Kennedy has won several Lake Championships and won the State Championship in 1981 and were runner-up in 1985. Soccer has grown in incredible ways over the years and Kennedy has played a very important role in its development.
Bloomington Kennedy has had only three head coaches since the inception of soccer as a High School League sport in 1968, in what has been a very stable and successful program.
- Jerry Peterson was head coach for the fall seasons from 1968-1986, adding Jim Klaseus as co-head coach from 1974-1986, while Peterson also served as head hockey coach.
- Bruce Temte, who had been an assistant coach in the program, was the second head coach, spanning the fall seasons of 1987-2008.
- Dan Bushendorf, who also came through the ranks as an assistant coach, was named the third head coach for Kennedy Boys Soccer, starting off with the fall season of the 2009-2010 school year.
Timeline of events regarding formation and State tournament for Kennedy Boys Soccer
1961 - first high school club soccer teams formed in Twin Cities
1965 - Kennedy High School was founded
1967 - intramural soccer program was started at Kennedy, mostly as a way for hockey players to train and stay fit during the hockey offseason
1968 - first year of Lake Conference soccer, made up of only five schools...Bloomington Kennedy, Bloomington Lincoln, Richfield, Edina and St. Louis Park
1974 - first year that State tournament was played
1981 - Kennedy State Champs
1985 - Kennedy State Runner-Up
1994 - Kennedy State Runner-Up
2020 - Kennedy State Qualifier/Section 2A Champs *** (unfortunately, there was no State tournament in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic concerns) ***
Last updated: December, 2023
Shown below are the three head coaches in our program's history. From left to right are Bruce Temte, Jerry Peterson, and Dan Bushendorf. Photo taken at Kennedy Boys Soccer Alumni Day Event in 2021.