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Culture Club
Team leader says humility and Christian brotherhood set the
tone for men’s soccer
By Bob Holmes
Daniel Mallard was limping as he greeted me in the lobby of
the CIU Moore Fitness Center. My thought was, “This is not
good,” because in the short history of CIU athletics, Mallard
holds the CIU Rams men’s soccer record for career goals. And
while the regular season was over, the regional tournament, to
be hosted at CIU, was coming up. Then I looked down and saw
the medical boot on his right foot. Describing a broken toe,
he said he would play in the tournament despite the pain. And
after all, he continued, he was at the end of his playing career.
Mallard is one of 10 CIU seniors most of whom, beginning as
freshmen, have been the core of the very first intercollegiate
soccer team in the 93-year history of CIU.
“I wanted to start something that had never been done before,”
Mallard said explaining why he chose CIU. “How many people
get to be on the ground floor of starting a soccer program? You
can influence the culture (of the program) for years to come.”
If Mallard’s influence represents the culture, it is made up of
one part humility, and one part Christian brotherhood.
His Firsts
In high school, Mallard was the team captain for the Wesleyan
Christian Academy Trojans in High Point, North Carolina, one of
the top private school soccer programs in that state. He led the
team in scoring his sophomore and junior seasons, and earned
a state championship. While Mallard’s teammates committed
to established and successful collegiate soccer programs, he
signed early to come to CIU, where success would follow him.
Not only is Mallard first in career goals for the CIU Rams, he
was the first athlete to commit to CIU and the first athlete to
put a number on the scoreboard in a 1-0 victory over Toccoa
Falls College in the first-ever CIU intercollegiate match in 2012.
But something wasn’t right.
ATHLETICS
“I came to CIU and I was pretty immature,”
Mallard said. “I thought I knew everything
about soccer, and I thought I was a really, really
good player. I used to only see things my way.
Being at CIU, I’ve matured a lot in how I view
God and how I view other people.”
These days, Mallard is uncomfortable when
asked about the “firsts” and prefers talking
about the camaraderie of the team.
“I’ve made friends with guys who I consider my brothers,”
Mallard said. “I wouldn’t trade these friendships for anything.
They’re real, they’re deep and they’re good. And I’m very
thankful for that.”
Mallard remembers how that brotherhood turned into a win at
a home match against Bluefield College when the team was
down 2-0 at halftime.
Daniel Mallard
reacts after
scoring the
first goal in CIU
intercollegiate
athletics history.
His three-finger
hand signal is a
personal tradition
communicating
his three loves:
God, his future
wife and soccer.
“How many people get to be on the
ground floor of starting a soccer program?
You can influence the culture (of the
program) for years to come.”
–Daniel Mallard
22
ATHLETICS
CIU Today
Winter 2016