The curtain closes

Goodnight, sweet prince.\nAnd in the wake of spiderholes filled with bearded bad men, one clean shaven, aviator-clad Indiana legend took his final bow.\nGarnished by a December's snowfall, IU men's soccer coach Jerry Yeagley celebrated his sixth national championship in 31 years of coaching Sunday afternoon. After scoring two first-half goals, Yeagley and his Hoosiers held out to clinch the title, 2-1.\nThe cameras turned to teammates embracing, Yeagley's wife Marilyn was screaming with joy, but the man of the hour seemed neutralized by the event.\nWhen confronted by an ESPN reporter seconds after the victory, Yeagley, the winningest coach in Division I soccer history, was speechless.\n"I don't know what to say." \nBut thankfully, we do.\nA basketball town can have a hard time showing its love for the myriad of athletes who represent our University season after season. While the money and the cameras come charging into Assembly Hall regardless of the matchup, nothing outshines talent when it comes unto its own while wearing the cream and crimson.\nJerry Yeagley is that talent. \nWhile Bobby Knight is the most infamous IU icon to date, Jerry Yeagley deserves to be the most respected. Yeagley has been a part of IU longer, won more championships and frankly, he's a nicer guy -- an Emersonian "representative man" if there ever was one.\nYeagley is not one after the spotlight, book deals or lawsuits. He is a man of soccer. The only coach IU has ever had for the sport, Yeagley held the post for 12 years before men's soccer even became a part of varsity athletics at the University in 1973.\nIn an age where the faces that define greatness in the sporting world are thrust from school to school and professional club to professional club by means of contract negotiations and dollar signs, Jerry Yeagley remained one of the icons of our mythic past. He is a man for whom loyalty, pride and dedication are not campaign buzzwords, but the foundation of his soul. His victory this weekend was no fluke, but the inevitable conclusion to a career of greatness. \nJerry Yeagley is not a champion because he has won games, he is a champion because his attitude and character reflect the true meaning of the word. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a champion is "a fighting man, a combatant; a stout fighter, a man of valour." \nNo other "man of valour" has IU seen, or is likely to ever see again in the years to come.\nYeagley is team. Yeagley is IU. He is the stuff of epic poems and half-time speeches. He is sport.\nYeagley, we are proud.\nWe thank you for your years and your example.\nYeagley, you will be missed.