Culture & Determination: Sam Cronin’s Career Exemplifies Team-First Attitude
12/15/2021 12:00:00 PM | General, Men's Soccer
Sam Cronin will be inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
In the summer between heading into the seventh grade, Sam Cronin and his family moved from Atlanta to Winston-Salem. Not only was the move a life-changing development for him personally, it changed the competitive trajectory for the future Wake Forest and Major League Soccer star.
"At the time I didn't know the consequences of that," Cronin said. "But it's fairly likely to consider I wouldn't have ended up at Wake Forest if I would have still lived in Atlanta. I was not a huge recruit, but the Wake Forest coaches knew me well from being local and I think they had faith in me as a person because they had a close-up look.
"If I had not gone to Wake Forest the whole trajectory of my career and my life would look a lot different now. That was a critical move and a defining moment in my life, for sure."
Cronin will now be one of the 2021-22 inductees into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
"I'm totally flattered, honored and surprised," he said. "For a kid who grew up in Winston-Salem and never even thought I'd be able to play at Wake Forest, to be inducted in its Hall of Fame is quite the recognition."
Coming from Mount Tabor High School, Cronin was recruited by a wide swath of North Carolina schools, but the Wake Forest coaching staff showed significant interest.
"They were one of the best teams in the country and obviously one of the best schools," Cronin said. "The fact that they kept showing interest while others kind of passed, I just knew if we could make it work financially it would be the right move for me. It quickly became the top choice and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world.
"Great coaches, great teammates and great university — I lucked out, without a doubt."
Once a formal offer was extended, it was essentially a done deal for Cronin and his family.
"I had to pinch myself," he said. "I could not believe I was going to be attending Wake Forest. There are such good coaches surrounded by like-minded players who have great work ethic and habits. The school checked all the boxes for me and I could not have been any happier."
As a true freshman in 2005, Cronin broke into the rotation right away and earned a spot as a starter. As it turns out, he played and started every game in his four-year Wake Forest career — owning the program record for most games played (and started) at 98.
"Bobby (Muuss) and the coaches just trusted me right off," Cronin remarked. "I was fortunate enough to start every game in my career. Even now, I still view Wake Forest through a middle schooler's eyes. That was my first exposure to big-time soccer as we came to all the games and watched so many greats play here. I quickly went from being a freshman with big dreams on campus unsure of how my career would play out, to basically playing every minute from the start of my career.
"The coaches played a lot of freshmen in my first year, but we got a lot of experience."
That experience paid off for the program, as the Deacs advanced to the College Cup in Cronin's sophomore season in 2006 and then claimed a national title the very next year.
"We continued to get better and better," Cronin said. "It stemmed from the type of student-athletes we had on the team, and the environment that Jay Vidovich built and Bobby was a part of that allowed focused on student-athlete and team development."
After falling to UC Santa Barbara in penalty kicks in the national semifinals in 2006, the Deacs returned as a focused and confident unit in 2007.
"We had a quiet confidence," Cronin said. "We respected every opponent and put maximum effort into every practice and game. We had just grown so much from our freshman and sophomore seasons. We had played in big games and the Final Four. By our junior year we weren't fazed by anything.
"We were clearly one of the best teams in the country and played in tough environments against quality teams. When we made the Final Four, we just knew. College soccer is fickle, and the best team doesn't always win. But it was just a culmination of all the work over the previous seasons."
The Deacs finished 24-2-2 in 2007, finishing up the season with a national championship victory over Ohio State in Cary, N.C.
That NCAA Championship match was not easy as the Buckeyes scored in the 13th minute and led 1-0 at intermission.
"I don't remember flinching at all," Cronin said. "I just felt like we were the better team. We had lost the year before in the Final Four and we played in the toughest conference in the country. Being down 1-0, we had enough leadership on the team to overcome it. We knew it was a long game and if we stuck to our principles and played our game, we could score goals in bunches.
"We obviously stayed committed, played really well and made it happen."
Marcus Tracy tied the game with a goal in the 66th minute, then assisted on the game-winner by Zack Schilawski in the 74th minute.
"That's special for the whole program, and to be part of it on the field is just special," Cronin said about winning the national championship. "There were the guys who came before us, and the title was just our natural trajectory. Wake Forest just kept getting better and better as a program. As a newcomer to the program, you must jump in right away as there was a certain expectation with how things were to be done.
"That national championship was a culmination of everybody who had touched the program in the past, and you saw that with the alumni in the stands that day. It was a special time for the program."
Wake Forest was 23-2-1 in Cronin's senior campaign the following year but fell in the College Cup to North Carolina, 1-0.
"I really thought we would win it again that year and felt we were the best team in the country," he said. "I walked off with so much pride. To me, being a Wake Forest soccer student-athlete means so much more than just winning.
"Winning is incredibly important, but in that moment, my sense of accomplishment of everything we'd done and being part of the program hit me."
In a postgame players-only meeting, Cronin shared his emotions with his teammates.
"I'd rather be in this locker room than that locker room," he told them. "What we accomplished was special and needed to be recognized at that moment."
Cronin was selected second overall by Toronto FC in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and went on to enjoy an 11-plus year professional career.
"I was proud of how reliable I was," he said. "I started for every team I played for and was a consistent first-choice player. I didn't win as much as I would have liked to, but I was proud to be a dependable and reliable teammate.
"I got to experience traveling around the world playing a game and was part of some really cool moments. I look back at the time fondly."
Cronin finished his Demon Deacons career with 17 goals, 19 assists, 53 points and four game-winners. He earned two first-team All-ACC honors and was an All-American. Additionally, he was one of the three finalists for the 2008 MAC Hermann Trophy for the National Player of the Year.
"Wake Forest was the best in terms of soccer and for the academic challenge," Cronin said. "People come from all over the country to chase their dreams committed to making a difference in the world. The educational experience and all it offers was just tremendous. I felt fully prepared for what was next. Whatever life threw at me I was going to be prepared because of my experiences at Wake Forest."
He now lives in Raleigh with his wife Samantha and three children – Levi, Holden and Penelope. Cronin works in commercial real estate.
"I went from a middle-of-the-road recruit to a really-high draft pick," he said. "And then I was a starter on every team. I was proud of how I developed at Wake Forest. I never in my life even dreamed of being a professional soccer player as a kid.
"To look back at my career, it didn't exceed my dreams, because I wasn't even having those dreams."
"At the time I didn't know the consequences of that," Cronin said. "But it's fairly likely to consider I wouldn't have ended up at Wake Forest if I would have still lived in Atlanta. I was not a huge recruit, but the Wake Forest coaches knew me well from being local and I think they had faith in me as a person because they had a close-up look.
"If I had not gone to Wake Forest the whole trajectory of my career and my life would look a lot different now. That was a critical move and a defining moment in my life, for sure."
Cronin will now be one of the 2021-22 inductees into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
"I'm totally flattered, honored and surprised," he said. "For a kid who grew up in Winston-Salem and never even thought I'd be able to play at Wake Forest, to be inducted in its Hall of Fame is quite the recognition."
Coming from Mount Tabor High School, Cronin was recruited by a wide swath of North Carolina schools, but the Wake Forest coaching staff showed significant interest.
"They were one of the best teams in the country and obviously one of the best schools," Cronin said. "The fact that they kept showing interest while others kind of passed, I just knew if we could make it work financially it would be the right move for me. It quickly became the top choice and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world.
"Great coaches, great teammates and great university — I lucked out, without a doubt."
Once a formal offer was extended, it was essentially a done deal for Cronin and his family.
"I had to pinch myself," he said. "I could not believe I was going to be attending Wake Forest. There are such good coaches surrounded by like-minded players who have great work ethic and habits. The school checked all the boxes for me and I could not have been any happier."
As a true freshman in 2005, Cronin broke into the rotation right away and earned a spot as a starter. As it turns out, he played and started every game in his four-year Wake Forest career — owning the program record for most games played (and started) at 98.
"Bobby (Muuss) and the coaches just trusted me right off," Cronin remarked. "I was fortunate enough to start every game in my career. Even now, I still view Wake Forest through a middle schooler's eyes. That was my first exposure to big-time soccer as we came to all the games and watched so many greats play here. I quickly went from being a freshman with big dreams on campus unsure of how my career would play out, to basically playing every minute from the start of my career.
"The coaches played a lot of freshmen in my first year, but we got a lot of experience."
That experience paid off for the program, as the Deacs advanced to the College Cup in Cronin's sophomore season in 2006 and then claimed a national title the very next year.
"We continued to get better and better," Cronin said. "It stemmed from the type of student-athletes we had on the team, and the environment that Jay Vidovich built and Bobby was a part of that allowed focused on student-athlete and team development."
After falling to UC Santa Barbara in penalty kicks in the national semifinals in 2006, the Deacs returned as a focused and confident unit in 2007.
"We had a quiet confidence," Cronin said. "We respected every opponent and put maximum effort into every practice and game. We had just grown so much from our freshman and sophomore seasons. We had played in big games and the Final Four. By our junior year we weren't fazed by anything.
"We were clearly one of the best teams in the country and played in tough environments against quality teams. When we made the Final Four, we just knew. College soccer is fickle, and the best team doesn't always win. But it was just a culmination of all the work over the previous seasons."
The Deacs finished 24-2-2 in 2007, finishing up the season with a national championship victory over Ohio State in Cary, N.C.
That NCAA Championship match was not easy as the Buckeyes scored in the 13th minute and led 1-0 at intermission.
"I don't remember flinching at all," Cronin said. "I just felt like we were the better team. We had lost the year before in the Final Four and we played in the toughest conference in the country. Being down 1-0, we had enough leadership on the team to overcome it. We knew it was a long game and if we stuck to our principles and played our game, we could score goals in bunches.
"We obviously stayed committed, played really well and made it happen."
Marcus Tracy tied the game with a goal in the 66th minute, then assisted on the game-winner by Zack Schilawski in the 74th minute.
"That's special for the whole program, and to be part of it on the field is just special," Cronin said about winning the national championship. "There were the guys who came before us, and the title was just our natural trajectory. Wake Forest just kept getting better and better as a program. As a newcomer to the program, you must jump in right away as there was a certain expectation with how things were to be done.
"That national championship was a culmination of everybody who had touched the program in the past, and you saw that with the alumni in the stands that day. It was a special time for the program."
Wake Forest was 23-2-1 in Cronin's senior campaign the following year but fell in the College Cup to North Carolina, 1-0.
"I really thought we would win it again that year and felt we were the best team in the country," he said. "I walked off with so much pride. To me, being a Wake Forest soccer student-athlete means so much more than just winning.
"Winning is incredibly important, but in that moment, my sense of accomplishment of everything we'd done and being part of the program hit me."
In a postgame players-only meeting, Cronin shared his emotions with his teammates.
"I'd rather be in this locker room than that locker room," he told them. "What we accomplished was special and needed to be recognized at that moment."
Cronin was selected second overall by Toronto FC in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and went on to enjoy an 11-plus year professional career.
"I was proud of how reliable I was," he said. "I started for every team I played for and was a consistent first-choice player. I didn't win as much as I would have liked to, but I was proud to be a dependable and reliable teammate.
"I got to experience traveling around the world playing a game and was part of some really cool moments. I look back at the time fondly."
Cronin finished his Demon Deacons career with 17 goals, 19 assists, 53 points and four game-winners. He earned two first-team All-ACC honors and was an All-American. Additionally, he was one of the three finalists for the 2008 MAC Hermann Trophy for the National Player of the Year.
"Wake Forest was the best in terms of soccer and for the academic challenge," Cronin said. "People come from all over the country to chase their dreams committed to making a difference in the world. The educational experience and all it offers was just tremendous. I felt fully prepared for what was next. Whatever life threw at me I was going to be prepared because of my experiences at Wake Forest."
He now lives in Raleigh with his wife Samantha and three children – Levi, Holden and Penelope. Cronin works in commercial real estate.
"I went from a middle-of-the-road recruit to a really-high draft pick," he said. "And then I was a starter on every team. I was proud of how I developed at Wake Forest. I never in my life even dreamed of being a professional soccer player as a kid.
"To look back at my career, it didn't exceed my dreams, because I wasn't even having those dreams."
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