Craig Roberts didn't doubt his team's chances when Ball State soccer was picked to finish last in the Mid-American Conference this season. He embraced the Cardinals' underdog role. He's beaten tough odds all his life.
At age 5, Roberts was diagnosed with perthes, a disorder that causes hip bones to break down and regrow with weakness or deformity. Today's medical advancements have increased recovery chances for perthes' patients, but the prospects were dim when Roberts was a child.
Doctors put casts and a brace on Roberts' legs. He wore them for five years and was told he would never play sports.
"It was really a choice to be upset and feel sorry for yourself or do something about it," Roberts said. "Nobody is going to give you any breaks, so you have to do it yourself. It was one of those ‘you can't do it' situations, so you want to go out there and prove them wrong."
After the casts were removed, Roberts relearned how to walk. He made a list in his head of all the things he wanted to achieve, things no one said he could do. He was determined to live his childhood passion of playing and coaching soccer.
It took him a year and a half of vigorous physical therapy, but he made it onto the soccer field.
He participated in national school boy tryouts before competing at semi-professional and professional levels in England for four different teams. Roberts went on to be a four-year starter and captain for Park University in Missouri.
His career's next step, rebuilding a dormant Ball State program that finished 4-13-1 last season, may be his toughest challenge. He has handled it like he has handled most everything else in his life — with success and unmatched dedication.
Ball State's 6-2 record is the team's best start since 2005.
"Things just come together quicker than others sometimes," athletics director Tom Collins said. "We knew he was talented and had the leadership skills to help the ladies win."
Roberts presents his knowledge in three different ways: diagrams, film and on-field instruction. He gives every player a personalized evaluation with feedback after every game and tells them where they stand on the team. Communication with the players is constant, and there is little downtime.
"I am not surprised at all with him winning here so soon," assistant coach Rachel Napoli said of Roberts. "He wins everywhere he goes and just knows how to get it done. It coincides with his knowledge of the team and how to beat teams. He knows how to outcoach everybody."
At his past job as UT-Martin coach, Roberts' 29 wins in the past three seasons matched the total from the school's total from the seven seasons before that. He coached UT-Martin to its first Ohio Valley Conference championship in 2009.
It wasn't the first time he was part of a program's resurrection.
At St. Mary's College, Roberts was the assistant coach of a top-25 team. As an associate head coach at the Virginia Military Institute, Roberts received a National Soccer Coaches Association of America award after helping lead the Keydets to their first winning season in 16 years.
"It is all about organization and designing a system to form good team chemistry," Roberts said. "I see qualities in players that haven't been brought out, and I get players to believe in themselves.
"You have to establish a standard where they can achieve their goals. If you set the bar too high, they can get discouraged."
With 14 players returning from last year's team, experience was on Roberts' side. There have also been key additions, such as sophomore goalkeeper Aubrey Buehler and senior defender Danielle Rogers, who both followed Roberts from UT-Martin.
"[Ball State] had a good team to work with and good players," Rogers said. "We just needed a good coach to top it off."
All evidence points to Rogers being right. The team is on a three-match winning streak, its second this season.
Players and coaches believe Roberts deserves the majority of the credit. His coaching style seems to have clicked with the team.
"He works well with us because we want to learn from what he has to offer," Rogers said. "He knows what he's talking about."
Nonconference games are over, and the real test begins Friday. Ball State's MAC season starts with a home match against Western Michigan at 4 p.m.
Every coach is measured by what they do in conference play and the postseason. This is Roberts' first shot.
Just like the doctors told him years ago, the MAC preseason poll predicts he will fail. Roberts relishes the skepticism.
"We are aware of what we can do," Roberts said. "We have a burning desire to make people respect us."
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