Ray LaVoie
As a previous professional soccer player and coach, and now, as a small business owner, New Albany resident, Mike Lapper, is no stranger to high-pressure moments and a bit of competition.
During his time as a soccer player, Lapper played on the world stage and, afterwards, moved on to coach several Major League Soccer (MLS) teams, including the Columbus Crew.
Now, as a business owner and active community member, Lapper is taking many of the life lessons and skills taught to him by soccer and applying them to a new playing field – serving others.
Kicking off
Ray LaVoie
It all started with soccer.
“Both my parents were German, so it was in my blood,” Lapper says. “I didn’t even think twice, I just grew up with a soccer ball.”
However, Lapper didn’t realize just how big a part of his life soccer would become until he received a soccer scholarship from the University of California, Los Angeles.
While there he discovered his knack for playing as a defender, and his soccer career truly began to take off. During his junior year at UCLA, his team, the UCLA Bruins, won the 1990 National Championship, earning him first team All American honors.
His senior year, Lapper was scouted for the 1992 Summer Olympics USA soccer team. Despite the team not medaling, Lapper still remembers it as an amazing experience, including a bonus highlight – standing right next to the famous basketball Dream Team during the opening ceremony.
“When you can represent your country, it’s quite the dream come true,” Lapper says. “It’s something you never forget and it’s always such an honor.”
According to Lapper, what came next was a whole other ball game.
In 1994, Lapper represented the U.S. again, this time at the FIFA World Cup when the U.S. hosted the games for the first time. The U.S. team triumphed over Columbia in the first round but fell to Brazil in the second. Still, Lapper says the experience opened up a door of opportunities, not just for him, but also for the U.S.
“To have (the World Cup) here, in the United States, was something that really kind of put soccer on the map. That’s really when soccer started to get big in the United States,” Lapper says.
On a more personal level, the World Cup drew the attention of several European soccer teams to Lapper’s talents. That same year, Lapper began his professional career with German club VfL Wolfsburg. In 1995, he moved on to play with British club Southend United.
After three years in Europe, Lapper then signed with the MLS and returned to the states, settling in New Albany to play with the Columbus Crew until his retirement in 2002.
Mike Lapper
From cleats to clipboard
Mike Lapper
Mike, his wife Tara, and their sons Tyler and Kyle
Soon after retirement, Lapper joined the Columbus Crew’s front office, and in 2005, he joined the coaching staff.
“It was an easy transition for me…” Lapper says. “I felt like I was always a leader on the field, being a defender where I can see everything in front of me… so that’s kind of what coaching is.”
Lapper has many fond memories of his coaching years including working alongside then Columbus Crew and previous UCLA coach, the renowned Sigi Schmid, and helping the team win the MLS Cup in 2008 as well as the Supporters’ Shield in both 2008 and 2009.
However, while winning championships and trophies is always the dream, Lapper says getting to build relationships with his players was the best part of coaching.
“It was so fun to be a part of their journey and just watch them develop and grow… not only as a soccer player, but as a person (too). That’s the most gratifying thing,” Lapper says. “Being a coach, you’re based on your wins and losses, but there’s something to be said about having harmony between players and yourself.”
In 2013, Lapper parted ways with the Crew to help coach the West Virginia Mountaineers. Then, in 2018, he joined the coaching staff of the New England Revolution, where he managed until 2019.
After this, Lapper knew it was time to return home.
“I had a great run. It was a remarkable opportunity… but we wanted to come back to New Albany,” Lapper says. “This is where home is. It’s where family is.”
Life after the whistle
Ray LaVoie
For his family, settling back into New Albany was a no-brainer, but for Lapper, conceptualizing life after soccer was not quite as easy. However, after considering what’s important to him and why he loves New Albany so much, his next game plan became much clearer.
“You want to be a good person, and knowing your neighbors and being concerned about them is probably the best way you can do that,” Lapper says.
To be the best neighbor he can be, Lapper now finds meaning in serving others throughout his community. He stays involved by being a member of the New Albany Chamber of Commerce, serving on the board of trustees at the New Albany United Methodist Church and working part-time at Links Golf Club.
Being a part of his church is especially rewarding for Lapper, as he is in charge of the memorial garden there, where members can go to remember their loved ones and admire nature’s beauty. He hopes to continue working on the project for years to come.
Most recently, his newest passion is his power washing business that he started last summer.
As Lapper’s small business grew by word of mouth, he partnered up with a friend who co-owns a landscape company to expand his reach.
“Once I retired, I kind of lost my purpose. Every day, you had a purpose (with soccer). I found the power washing to be (similarly) goal-oriented, almost like a competition within myself,” Lapper says. “It brings me happiness… the satisfaction of doing the job, seeing how people react. So it really gave me that purpose again.”
Lapper says, in many ways, his soccer and coaching career helped prepare him for all that he’s doing now.
“Taking accountability and being self-reflective, and saying ‘What can I do to be better?,’ I really try to put that from my soccer career into pretty much everything in life,” Lapper says. “‘How can I apply that to be the best person, the best father, the best husband.’”
Ella Jay is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ejay@cityscenemediagroup.com.
