Where Are They Now? Tom Houston '96
12/18/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 18, 2013
In 1992, legendary head coach and eventual Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Famer Manfred Schellscheidt led the Seton Hall men's soccer team to the final of the BIG EAST Tournament for the seventh consecutive season. The Hall came up just short of capturing a second-straight conference crown but went on to host an NCAA Tournament match for the first time in school history - a 2-0 win over Hartford that was the fourth tournament victory for the program in a four-year span.
The Pirates headed into the 1993 campaign having established themselves as a national power and a central part of the incoming class that was tasked with carrying on that legacy was Tom Houston, a 1992 Parade High School All-American and native New Yorker who scored a then school-record 51 goals in four years at Valley Stream Central High School.
Joining a roster that was filled with some of the most prominent players ever to wear a Seton Hall uniform including Carmine Pascarella and current Seton Hall head coach Gerson Echeverry, Houston immediately slid into the first team, starting in the midfield for the first seven games of his collegiate career and assisting on a goal against Pittsburgh before a bout with mononucleosis cut his freshman season short.
Entering his sophomore year, a healthy Houston assumed more of an attacking role due to the graduations of Pascarella and Echeverry, a duo that amassed a combined total of 218 points for The Hall in their careers. He responded with one of the most prolific campaigns the program has seen to date, starting 15 of 16 matches and totaling 12 goals and nine assists. The season was highlighted by a stretch of seven consecutive games in which he found the back of the net and after finishing fourth in the BIG EAST with 33 points, he was named an All-BIG EAST First Team performer.
At year's end he was also recognized at the regional and national level by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), taking home All-Mid-Atlantic Region and All-America Second Team honors.
To this day, he remains one of 10 different Pirates to achieve All-America status and only newly-elected Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Famer and current United States international Sacha Kljestan has done so since.
Kljestan, who currently patrols the midfield for the famed Belgian club RSC Anderlecht, earned back-to-back All-America selections in 2004 and 2005.
As a junior, Houston was able to use his trademark speed to help him register five more goals and eight assists, and was rewarded with All-Region and All-BIG EAST Second Team selections. The following season, he wrapped up a brilliant career with a four-goal, four-assist campaign that landed him on the All-BIG EAST team for the third season in a row.
Houston, who donned the #8 shirt for the Pirates throughout his career, was also named an All-New Jersey performer in his final three seasons and was honored as a BIG EAST Academic All-Star at the end of his final year in South Orange.
More than 15 years after he played his final game for The Hall, SHUPirates.com caught up with Tom Houston for the latest installment of "Where Are They Now?"
Q: Where do you live now and what are you up to these days?
Houston: I currently live on Long Island, N.Y. with my wife of nine years and our three children. So, like all other parents, my pastime is driving the kids to and from their daily activities. They are my life, and I am so grateful for them. I am also fortunate enough to have been a police officer for the past 14 years. It has proven to be a very rewarding career.
Q: How did your time as a Seton Hall student-athlete prepare you for your future?
Houston: Being a student athlete was a series of successes and failures. We had to learn to deal with both of them. I believe my experience at Seton Hall mentally prepared me for life's challenges. Also, I can probably make a soccer-related analogy to any situation in life.Thanks coach!
Q: What is your favorite memory as a Pirate?
Houston: My favorite memory as a Pirate was the simple daily interactions I had with all my teammates, coaches, and the faculty. I have many memories smiling and laughing while sitting in the cafeteria, in someone's dorm room, or having a study group. I didn't know at the time, but the countless hours of conversation we made between classes or practices turned out to be the best memories.
Q: Do you still keep in touch with any of your former teammates and if so, who?
Houston: I still keep in contact with my roommate and several of my teammates. They are like family to me and they will always be a part of my life.
Q: Do you still follow the Pirates and what are your thoughts on the program today?
Houston: Yes I do, and I am very excited about the future of all sports at Seton Hall. We are headed in the right direction. I try my best to keep up with the many accomplishments of our current student-athletes. I know how hard they are working. Of course I am biased here, but I have a really good feeling about the future of the men's soccer team.
