Willy Roy was just a boy during World War II, in Treuberg Germany, sneaking into German National soccer games and playing sandlot soccer. Soon enough, that childhood would be left behind and a dream of playing professional soccer would begin.

Roy, in his 16th season as head coach of the NIU men’s soccer team, grew up in East Germany in the 1940s when times weren’t exactly easy. During and after the war, Roy and his family encountered hard times, but his love of soccer kept him occupied.