Soccer star turned coach heading into Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame

Before forging a successful career as the head coach of the Cowley College men's soccer team, Ruy Vaz had a decorated career as a member of the Tiger men's soccer team. At Cowley, Vaz was named the school's January 2012 and September 2012 Student-Athlete of the Month and was the college's 2013 Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
Vaz served as a leader on the soccer field and in the classroom. He was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America 2012 Junior College Men's Scholar Player of the Year.
Along with the award, he became the Tiger soccer program's first two-time All-American and had a grade point average of 3.95 at Cowley.

"Ever since I stepped foot on the Cowley campus, it felt like home," Vaz said. "I was welcomed and treated in a very special manner, and that made it so much easier for me to perform on the field."
As a freshman at Cowley, he was named a First-Team All-American and the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Vaz set a school record with 19 goals and 41 points scored on the season while helping the Tigers finish the year with a record of 13-3-2 overall and 8-2 in the Jayhawk Conference.

"I was able to help the program grow while learning more about a new culture and myself," Vaz said. "It was an honor to defend Cowley's colors and fight for our program."

He scored 11 goals and added six assists in 12 games as a sophomore as he exemplified the word student-athlete.
Vaz, who came to Cowley from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was named the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Offensive Player of the Year each of his two years as a member of the Tiger soccer team. He finished his Cowley career with a school-record 30 goals and nine assists as the Tigers went 25-6-2 during his two seasons at the school.

"My favorite memories are the pregame hours, hanging out with my teammates, learning English, having fun, and then playing," Vaz said. "Also, I loved the post-game meals, regardless of the place. It was just fun to sit down, eat, and have a good time with everyone."

Vaz enjoyed playing for then men's head soccer coach, Roberto dos Santos.

"Roberto is great at managing people and managing the group," Vaz said. "He knows how to make the program feel like home, and I was able to incorporate this into my coaching style."

After Cowley, Vaz transferred to Oklahoma City University, where he was the Sooner Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 and a First-Team All-Conference selection as he helped the Stars capture the conference title.
He was a two-time Academic All-Region and Academic All-American during his time at OCU. He went on to have playing experience in Europe, playing for GD Braganca and Morais Futebol Clube in Portugal and Polimia Calcio in Italy. Vaz also played the PDL in 2012 for the West Virginia Chaos.

Vaz returned as a volunteer assistant soccer coach at Cowley in 2015 and became a full-time assistant in 2016. He took over the reins of the men's soccer program in 2018 and has become the most successful coach in the history of the program, having led Cowley to four national tournament berths in five seasons and an overall record of 93-19-2.

"I just wanted to give back to the program that welcomed me as a family member," Vaz said. "It never felt like I left, and I wanted to help make it better."

Vaz considers it an honor to be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame along with the many great athletes and coaches before him.

"It is even more special because it happened at a place where I love," Vaz said. "Thank you, Cowley. It's been an amazing adventure."