ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Former Columbia College head men's and women's soccer coach John Klein was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame last week.

Klein is the winningest coach all-time in both the men's and women's soccer programs, compiling an overall record of 558-174-63 (.742) in over 30 years at CC. During his time at CC, he was a 13-time American Midwest Conference (AMC) Coach of the Year honoree. Klein guided the Cougars to 22 AMC titles and 25 NAIA Tournament appearances between the two programs.

Klein served as the assistant coach at Columbia College during the 1995 and 1996 seasons while pursuing a master's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri. A native of St. Louis, John played two seasons at Duke University (1983-84) before returning to complete his career at St. Louis University (1985-86). Upon graduation from SLU, Klein played eight years professionally. He played outdoor (American Professional Soccer League) for the Colorado Foxes (1990-91) and the Miami Freedom (1992). His professional indoor experience includes time with the St. Louis Ambush (1992-96, National Professional Soccer League), the Kansas City Comets (1990-91, Major Soccer League), and two stints with the St. Louis Storm (1989-90, 1991-92, Major Soccer League).

Most recently, Klein was named head coach for the women's soccer program at Southeast Missouri State University in January 2025.

Klein was inducted alongside Jenni Burton Anderson, Tim Berra, Larry Julius, Sean McManus, John Stone, Nick Traina, Shane Battelle, Jackie Billet, Erv Pesek, and Tom Strunk.