Arnold’s Ken Wolf Inducted Into NJCAA Men’s Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) inducted longtime Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) men’s soccer coach Ken Wolf into its men’s soccer coaches association’s Hall of Fame in November.

Wolf was AACC’s men’s soccer head coach for 33 seasons and continued to be an assistant coach for another 18 years.

Wolf started at the Arnold college in 1973 after receiving his master’s degree from Frostburg State University.

“Anne Arundel was a great place to work back then,” Wolf said. “The college was small, all of the coaches got along so well, and coming to work was so much fun. I would have coached for free back then; that’s how much I enjoyed it.”

During the ‘70s and ‘80s, the physical education faculty also comprised the college’s coaching staff as their “workload” included coaching a sport each semester. Wolf was an assistant coach for men’s basketball, the head coach for women’s basketball, and an assistant coach for men’s track and field during the early decades of his tenure.

During those years, the college had a tight sports budget, especially when it came to travel and meals.

“I remember Bruce Springer (men’s head basketball coach) and I going to the A&P (grocery store) in Severna Park and buying bologna, bread and mustard and making sandwiches for the guys to eat on the way home. That was their postgame meal,” Wolf said with a wide smile.

In addition to coaching, Wolf taught a full load of classes each semester. The courses ranged from health classes and first aid to an array of physical education classes.

“Back then, there was a physical education requirement to get your two-year degree,” Wolf said. “We taught golf, basketball, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, weightlifting and fitness classes as well. For golf, we would walk through the woods to the Severna Park Golf Center to use their driving range and eventually play a couple of holes.”

Springer said, “We’ve been friends and colleagues for over 40 years. “Ken is one of the most talented teachers and coaches I’ve ever known.”

Wolf has had numerous players go on to play at major universities and has had his share of championships and All-American athletes. Wolf made two NJCAA Division III national tournament appearances and won two Maryland Junior College championships in 1983 and 1984. Wolf coached 11 NJCAA All-Americans and tallied over 300 wins as head coach.

“I’ve coached some great players from Jody Haislip, Zach DeCarlo, Kevin Wise and Steve Abey, to name a few,” Wolf said. “I’m still in touch with many of them and that’s one of the great rewards of coaching is to see your players successful and have families.”

In a statement, AACC Athletic Director Duane Herr called Wolf’s impact “immeasurable.”

“With a career that spanned five decades, coach Wolf taught, coached and mentored our students with a calm and steady demeanor through thousands of practices, hundreds of games, and several national tournament contests,” Herr said.

Wolf was “very surprised” when he received word of his induction into the Hall of Fame. After the shock of being selected settled in, he reminisced about the players who gave him so many outstanding memories.

“Like the old adage goes, to be a great coach, you have to have great players,” Wolf said. “I had good players who bought into the team concept and worked hard. When you coach a junior college team, the players come from high schools across Anne Arundel County and have played against one another for years and then you have to turn them into one cohesive team very quickly.”

One of the great team-building events that Wolf did was hosting spaghetti dinners at his house.

“My wife made spaghetti pies for the team and I told the guys to try to eat all of them because I didn’t want to eat leftover spaghetti pies for another week after they came over,” Wolf said.

An advantage that Wolf had while working at AACC was his convenient commute. He purchased a house directly across from the college in 1976 and either walked, jogged or rode his bike to work every day.

“Arnold was a great place to raise my three sons,” Wolf said. “With Twin Oaks Park right across the street, it gave them a safe place to play and be kids.”

Wolf retired from AACC in 2019 and keeps busy by watching his grandchildren, working out four times a week, riding his bike, and being involved with his church, Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Annapolis.