When Calum Mallace arrived on campus in the fall of 2008 to begin his career with Marquette men’s soccer, the last thing on his mind was making it into a ‘Hall of Fame.’
When he scored the game-winning goal on senior day to clinch the program’s first-ever Big East regular-season championship, he still wasn’t thinking about it. Nor when he won team MVP, or when he received first-team all Big East honors, or when he was drafted to the MLS.
Now an assistant coach for the Golden Eagles, receiving the call of his inclusion in the 2026 induction class of the ‘M Club’ has given Mallace the chance to pause, look back and reflect on what will soon officially be a ‘Hall of Fame’ career.
“[The Selection Committee] thought that I left some sort of statement or impact here as a player, and that’s something that’s really special,” Mallace said.
As starter in 62 out of 69 career games played, the native of Torphichen, Scotland scored 13 goals and made 13 assists during his tenure as a Golden Eagle. Mallace’s best season on paper during his junior campaign, where he led the team in both categories with six apiece.
After his first-year season, the program only mustered three wins. Mallace’s senior year is one that helped take the men’s soccer program to one of its highest ever peaks.
In a season which saw Mallace take home honors such as Team MVP, first team All-Big East, Big East midfielder of the year, second team All-America and All-region first team, Marquette also took home its first-ever Big East regular season title.
“There was something so special about it and I still remember hoisting that trophy with all my teammates, it was a day I reflect on quite a bit,” Mallace said.
Mallace’s senior campaign also guided men’s soccer to its first winning season of his tenure, as well as the program’s first in seven years.
After four standout years as a Golden Eagle, Mallace’s hard work earned him a selection to the Montreal Impact with the 20th pick in the 2012 MLS Superdraft.
Mallace’s successful pro career took him as far as the 2015 Concacaf Champions League final, where the Impact came up short against continental giants in Mexican side Club America. That season, he also set personal bests with five assists in all competitions and 21 starts in 26 games played.
Mallace noted that his time adjusting to the standards of professional soccer drew back to some of the lessons he learned as a Golden Eagle.
“Going into the pros, it’s difficult, maybe you’re coming off the bench,” Mallace said. “So I really pushed myself to just be a good teammate, no matter what team I was on, no matter how many minutes.”
Following stints with the Seattle Sounders, LAFC and Austin Bold FC of the USL, Mallace retired in 2019 and switched his sights to coaching.
After spending time as an assistant at both Northwestern and Loyola Chicago, Mallace officially made his return to Valley Fields and Marquette men’s soccer as an assistant coach at the start of the 2024 season.
Mallace has taken on the role of fostering the future of the program through aid in both training and recruitment, a walking embodiment of what it means to succeed in the program and take your talents to the next level.
“The pride he takes in this university was something that even when I interviewed him, was really incredible to me,” said men’s soccer head coach David Korn. “That gave us a lot of confidence that this is a really special community and place to be a part of.”
Whether it’s meeting with recruits or training for the upcoming Big East slate, Mallace showed what it meant to be a Marquette athlete from the grass of Valley Fields to some of the largest sporting venues across the continent.
When he receives the honors as an official ‘M Club’ inductee early next year, he will finally get the ultimate reminder of what made him a ‘Hall of Fame’ Golden Eagle.
This article was written by Eamon Bevan. He can be reached at eamon.bevan@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @EamonBevanMU.