Tampa soccer coach Adrian Bush has had his ups and downs with the Spartans in his first two years as head coach. Bush took over the head coaching duties in 2005 after the untimely death of his mentor and former coach Tom Fitzgerald.
“He was like a second dad to me,” said Bush. “He was more then just a coach. He taught me how to become a man both on and off the field. I learned a lot from him, and I really owe him a lot.” Obviously this was not how Bush wanted to start his coaching career. He, however, was able to recover and lead the Spartans to a respectable 7-7-3 record in 2005, his first year and a rebuilding year for the team.
Bush is well-known throughout the Tampa area for his work as a soccer coach. After his professional playing career, which included stints with the Tampa Bay Cyclones, the Tampa Bay Terror, the Orlando Sundogs and the New Orleans Gamblers, Bush went on to the position of executive director/director of coaching with HC United Soccer Club from 2001-2005. He has also coached for the Tampa Bay Kickers soccer club, the Tampa Bay Heather Girls Club Team and the Tampa Arsenal Boys Club Team. Bush coached at Gaither High School from 1995-2001 and led the team to a 4A State championship in the 1999-2000 season.
Bush has had a lot of success as a coach for other teams, but he says coaching for the University of Tampa is his passion. “Coaching here has been great. It has been my dream job for as long as I can remember. I was born and raised in Tampa. I played my college soccer here. This is where I want to be.”
Perhaps the biggest accomplishment for the University of Tampa soccer program in 2005, Bush’s first season as head coach, was when senior Luke Enna was taken in the Major League Soccer supplemental draft. “It’s obviously a credit to the individual,” said Bush. “I have great respect for Luke as a player. I can’t take any credit as a coach.”
Obviously this season Bush and UT were looking to improve as a team and make a run at a Sunshine State Conference title. Tampa was able to land 21 new players, including many top junior college transfers. Among these transfers was Georgia Perimeter College career scoring leader Ricardo Cardoso. Unfortunately, the start of the season has not gone as smoothly as expected, as many of the new players are still getting accustomed to playing together.
Currently the team is 5-4 overall and 1-2 in the Sunshine State Conference. “Starting the season 5-4 was not the start we were looking for,” said Bush. “It’s been a challenging start. We had high expectations coming into the season. We have 21 new players on the team, but that is no excuse. We have to play better.”