Johnny Torres
Creighton Head Soccer Coach
Academy Director
A two-time National Player of the Year and Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame selection, Johnny Torres played an integral role in lifting Creighton to its first College Cup in 1996. Torres brought things full circle for Bluejay nation in 2022 guiding Creighton to its sixth College Cup, but its first since 2012.
Not only did Torres reach the College Cup, he molded Omaha native Duncan McGuire into Creighton’s second MAC Hermann Trophy winner, joining Torres who won the honor in 1997 (at the time the Hermann Award and MAC (Missouri Athletic Club gave separate National Player of the Year awards).
The 2023 season will be Torres’ fifth season as the head coach of his alma mater.
Arguably the greatest soccer player in Creighton and Missouri Valley Conference history, Torres competed for the Bluejays from 1994-97 and played professional soccer for over 10 years. Torres spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach on the Bluejay coaching staff before being promoted to head coach in November of 2018.
A member of the 2018 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, Torres helped Creighton claim the conference regular-season title with a 7-1-1 mark in BIG EAST action and an 11-4-3 record. A total of five players were selected to the All-BIG EAST teams, and both Sven Koenig (Offensive Player of the Year) and Joel Rydstrand (Midfielder of the Year) garnered major awards.
Torres helped lead the Bluejays to the most wins in Division I (19) during the 2015 season as Creighton had four players selected in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. The Bluejays started the season 15-0-0, the program’s best start since 1993, and finished the year with the third-best offense in Division I.
With the 2014 BIG EAST Co-Coaching Staff of the Year, Torres helped lead the Bluejays to the nation’s best winning percentage at 16-3-3 (.795). Creighton won its first BIG EAST regular season title with a 7-1-1 mark and advanced to its third NCAA quarterfinal appearance in four seasons.
In 2013, he aided the Bluejays through their inaugural season in the BIG EAST Conference. Creighton finished the season with a 9-9-2 overall record and a 4-4-1 mark in league play. Seven Bluejays claimed spots on 2013 All-BIG EAST Teams. Eric Miller and Zach Barnes claimed NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region honors and later were drafted in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.
He claimed the National Assistant Coach of the Year honor from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in January 2012. He was also named the NSCAA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year after the 2011 and 2012 seasons and Great Lakes Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015.
He helped direct the Bluejays to a 17-4-3 record and their second consecutive appearance in a College Cup in 2012. Creighton won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles for a second straight season. Along the way, the Bluejays tied the MVC record for the fewest goals allowed (1) in a Valley season set by CU in 2011. CU entered the 2012 College Cup on a 14-match unbeaten streak before falling 1-0 to eventual national champion Indiana in a semifinal.
Three times in Torres’ first five seasons on the Bluejay bench, the Creighton men’s soccer staff was honored as the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year, earning the nod in 2008, 2010 and 2011. His roles on the coaching staff included scouting, recruiting and training. He also played a major role in working with student-athletes on service projects in the Omaha area.
Active in the community throughout his collegiate and professional playing days, Torres was tabbed the Children’s Miracle Network National “Hometown Hero” in 1996. A native of Medellin, Colombia, he was honored by the Omaha City Council with “Johnny Torres Day” on Oct. 27, 1996 for his community service and his soccer skills as well as in recognition of earning U.S. Citizenship just days before.
Torres was named to the MVC All-Centennial Team in 2006 and in 2011 he became the first men’s soccer player inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame. In 1997, he won both the Hermann Trophy and the Missouri Athletic Club Award (prior to the combination of the awards), recognizing him as the National Player of the Year. In 1996, he earned National Player of the Year honors from Soccer America after leading the Bluejays to their first College Cup appearance. When his career ended, he was the Valley’s all-time scoring (128 points) and assists (36) leader.
He was the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 1998 Major League Soccer (MLS) Draft by the New England Revolution, and played for the Revolution for four seasons. He also played for the Miami Fusion and Chicago Fire, before continuing his career in the USL for the Minnesota Thunder and the Milwaukee Wave United, before moving to indoor soccer with the Milwaukee Wave. In 2010, Torres returned to the professional ranks as a player, leading the Omaha Vipers of the Major Indoor Soccer League in goals scored. In 2009, he played on the United States Adult Soccer Association Over 30 championship team – Nebraska 402 – which qualified and participated in the U.S. Open Cup in 2009.
Torres returned to the Creighton campus in the fall of 2007 to complete his undergraduate degree while serving as the Bluejays’ undergraduate manager. After receiving the NCAA Degree Completion Award, he earned his degree in social work from Creighton in the spring of 2008.
The 2004 Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and two-time First Team All-American selection has two sons, Dominic and Javi, and two daughters, Perla and Isla. Torres married Sara Heck in 2013.