Student Manager Thoughts on Devoted Father, Role Model
Remembering Assistant Soccer Coach Peter Underwood
“We lost a terrific man. Peter Underwood was outstanding in all that he did. He was a wonderful husband to Austin and a terrific father to Lyla and Jude. We will miss him greatly.” – Nebraska Soccer Head Coach John Walker
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Last Saturday, Marty Everding received a telephone call from his boss and friend, John Walker. The Huskers’ longtime head women’s soccer coach delivered sad news – fellow assistant soccer coach Peter Underwood, 31, was killed in a car accident early that morning while on a recruiting trip in Iowa.
Like everyone else who knew Underwood, a native of London, England, Everding was crushed. The two assistants were very close and highly connected through a shared passion in soccer, life in general and life in God. With a heavy heart and wet eyes, Everding turned to that day's reading. “It was at the end: Proverbs 15:13 – 'A glad heart makes a cheerful face,'” Everding said. “I took my red ink pen out, circled the reading and wrote:
The brevity was an apt description for Underwood – a man with a glad heart who brought cheer to others’ faces… morning, afternoon, night, daily, monthly, always. “That encapsulated the man. That was a shining magnification of what he was,” Everding said, and I nodded my head with a tear in my eye. Having attended Bible study for two years with both assistant coaches, I shared with Marty how Peter and I saw each other for the first time in a while during the last week of lunch at the Training Table prior to its closing for the summer. Since Peter was arriving and I was leaving, we hugged each other.
“There was a sunshine quality about Peter,” Everding said. “If we had had a hidden camera in our office over the years, you would have seen over and over and over again, how that played out…the gladness of his heart. We can all wear lapel pins that say that, but with Peter, it was something welling up from inside him. To be honest, it was God inside; it was Christ.”
A life that touches others goes on forever. We say goodbye with heavy hearts but know you will be with us always. RIP Peter #GBR #Huskers
— Nebraska Soccer (@NebraskaSoccer) May 20, 2015
Everding: Underwood’s Get-It-Done Attitude Was Refreshing
Whenever called to do something, Underwood did it with all his might. “Time is short, so do it well. Peter was very consistent in playing that out,” Everding said. “He always went about his business and took it seriously – in terms of his work, his husbanding, his fathering, his faithfulness to Christ…he lived very consistently.”
Everding found Underwood’s attitude refreshing. “Sadly, I think a lot of us 50-year-olds are wasting a lot of time,” he said. “That’s one of the things I’ve learned from Peter. He spent his time well. He worked hard, loved hard, laughed hard. He had a tremendous sense of humor.”
Everding recalled the number of times that humor would emerge. He would ask Peter if he had a second to help him with something on his computer, and Peter would invariably come in to his office with a disturbed look of disbelief on his face, often followed by a “What the heck!” comment and a “Why am I always doing your job?” Another funny memory involved the so-called wall of separation that both Underwood and Everding thought should be built between them so that they would not have to hear each other. Secretary Cathy Robertson would occasionally be asked by either of them whether the work order for that wall had been submitted.
Co-Worker, Friend Was Like an Older Brother or Occasional Uncle
Until Monday, sitting in my office, it didn’t really occur to Everding (pictured above left, next to Underwood) how unique their relationship was. “He’s the only guy I know who I had a relationship with as a friend, a co-worker, a brother, and perhaps also, at times, as an uncle,” he told me. “I have 21 years on him, so maybe, in some respect, I was like an uncle too, because we would talk and pray seriously at times about our team, situations, and marriage.” The duo's day-to-day work together “was very much like friends trying to do a good job,” Everding said. “We would work out together, kick balls at each other in practice, make fun of each other, grab lunch together, and laugh at each other’s expense.”
The last four days have been incredibly tough. “When you look, you see sorrow across the board at various levels,” Everding said. “It’s a personal tsunami that has come upon so many shores, especially the shores of his wife (Austin), children (Lyla and Jude) and their families."
Even though sorrow abounds among family, friends, and co-workers, “I think Peter would want us to rejoice because he’s in paradise and would want us to weep in context and be sorrowful in context,” Everding said. “Peter believed Jesus was his Lord and Savior, and he lived that reality out day-by-day. Christ lived inside of him and governed Peter, and Peter loved him and followed him. That means that when he died, he rejoiced like he had never rejoiced before."
Wife Austin Stepped Up to Help Peter Achieve His Dream
Everding praised Austin (pictured at church above with Peter and their two children). An occupational therapist, Austin encouraged Peter to move from Montana to pursue an opportunity to be mentored by Coach Walker. She accepted a role to be the household’s primary income earner while Peter worked as an unpaid assistant for two seasons before becoming a full-time paid assistant at Nebraska. He coached club soccer and served as head coach at nearby Norris High School, patiently waiting for the next chapter. “Peter was as sharp as it gets,” Everding said. “He would have been the best man to replace John when he retires. The girls on our team loved him. John (Walker) and Anna (Trent) and Cathy (Robertson) and I all loved him. He was a good communicator, highly intelligent, highly passionate, reasonable, caring, and innovative. He was so savvy with all the technical stuff and just had a great attitude about everything.”
Walker, Nebraska’s head soccer coach since 1994, said Underwood (holding son Jude below) had limitless potential. “His creativity, attention to detail, passion for learning and teaching style was the best I’ve been around during my years in coaching,” Walker said. “He was well beyond his years with his knowledge base and how he saw the game. Lastly he cared so much about the players and their well-being. He had such a positive influence on everyone that he came into contact with. We will miss him greatly."
Underwood Inspired Two Husker Coaches to Describe His Legacy
Everding spoke Wednesday afternoon at his close friend’s memorial service and celebration of life at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Pausing and reflecting on the glad heart and cheerful face that will always be with him and those around him, Everding reinforced the legacy Walker defined. “Peter brought a lot of cheer to the University of Nebraska,” Everding said, “and he will be deeply missed by more people than he ever could have known.”
Peter Underwood influenced countless individuals who had the privilege to meet him. Anna Trent, the Huskers’ volunteer coach, told me that many speak of the same things when they describe Underwood’s testimony. “In this man, there's proof in itself that Peter (pictured below experiencing a precious moment with daughter Lyla) was a beacon of light,” she said. “His excellence made everyone better, and his joy inspired everyone.” She pointed out how Underwood walked closely with his God, getting to the office early to read and to pray for his family and team. “Peter was compelled then with great love and diligence to get to work,” Trent said. “His excellence and passion weren’t fueled by the longing to justify his existence, like many coaches at this level, but rather the opposite. Peter lived a life of joyful freedom, knowing he was already justified. His existence was one of gratitude for the sure hope he had in Christ. I find great hope and comfort that I will see my brother again. In the meantime, I have great sorrow for his family - may his testimony live on in their lives."
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Voices from Across the Nation
I just read your blog about Peter and felt I had to write and tell you how beautifully written it was. I met Peter on a few occasions and felt the power of his personality and character. I was impressed with his passion for the game and knowledge of all things soccer - training, recruiting, psychology, match analysis - he was in the middle of everything and I loved it. I didn't know anything about his personal life however, and I really appreciate you sharing that. To hear about his faith and commitment to becoming the best father, husband, coach and friend is so inspiring. We can all learn so much from him and the way he lived life. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Thanks again for sharing. Gary Curneen, Head Women's Soccer Coach, California State University Bakersfield
Peter became a valued personal friend through a weekly Bible study that he joined shortly after beginning his association with the UNL women's soccer program as a volunteer assistant. His depth of insight and quiet but profound sense of humor were always refreshing for me. I recall how excited I was to learn of his becoming a full-time assistant, and then looked forward to our weekly gatherings where we all benefited from Peter's intuitive understanding and judgment concerning whatever subject might have been the focus of our discussions. The warmth of his smile and the expressed love in his heart for his family, his fellow coaches and the team he helped direct was always present. Peter's life was a reflection of his Lord and Savior Jesus with whom he will be for all eternity. In that we rejoice, even as our sorrow is now poured out over the profound loss all who had the privilege of knowing him now feel. Fred Kauffman, Lincoln, Nebraska
Thank you for your well-done story on the amazing young soccer coach for UNL's women.It is so tragically sad that he was lost so young. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.Always love reading about a fine man who was living out his life in Christ. Andrea Sampson Durfee, Lincoln, Nebraska