Wisconsin has lost another of its soccer pioneers.
John Adema, a native of the Netherlands who was integral in the sport's development in the northeast part of the state, passed away April 13 in Neenah. He was 76.
Adema played a role in nearly every level of the game in his long career.
He played for Sheboygan Sports Club and the Fox Valley Bombers; coached college men's teams at St. Norbert and Marian, high school teams at New Holstein, Stockbridge, Cedar Grove-Belgium and Kiel – last fall was his 15th season as the school's boys coach – and in the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program; started youth clubs in New Holstein and Kiel; and was a referee.
The longest-tenured coach at St. Norbert, Adema compiled a 74-64-9 record in nine seasons at the NCAA Division III school in De Pere. He ranks seventh in Midwest Conference history with 59 league wins and 10th in overall wins, and was the conference coach of the year in 1994. A decade earlier, he earned the same honor from the Lake Michigan Conference for his work at Marian in Fond du Lac, a program he started just a year before.
Adema was inducted into the Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Lakeshore Sports Hall of Fame in Manitowoc in 2007.
Boys soccer
Year Teams Players Avg/Team
2002-03 235 9,086 38.7
2003-04 239 9,310 39.0
2004-05 240 9,279 38.7
2005-06 247 9,247 37.4
2006-07 249 9,731 39.1
2007-08 253 10,035 39.7
2008-09 256 9,836 38.4
2009-10 260 10,001 38.5
2010-11 259 10,112 39.0
2011-12 263 9,318 35.4
Girls soccer
Year Teams Players Avg/Team
2002-03 219 8,017 36.6
2003-04 226 8,695 38.5
2004-05 232 8,524 36.7
2005-06 241 8,254 34.2
2006-07 243 8,647 35.6
2007-08 240 9,934 41.4
2008-09 249 9,613 38.6
2009-10 249 9,487 38.1
2010-11 250 8,938 35.8
2011-12 251 9,364 37.3
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