There is nothing more important to the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team than keeping the tradition of success on and off the field alive. That's why the program chose to start the Loyola Legends series, where we highlight some of the alumni who are doing great things in their respective fields after their time here in Rogers Park. 
 
The first alumnus featured as a part of this series is Jim Ambrose, a member of the men's soccer team from 1986 to 1989. Currently, Ambrose is a senior vice president and wealth management advisor with Merrill Lynch. In this position, Ambrose helps families and universities with their financial portfolios. 
 
During his time at Loyola, he was a four-year athlete on the men's soccer team as an undergraduate. He was coached by Ray O'Connell, who started the program here at Loyola. 
 
Upon graduation in 1990, Ambrose decided to attend Loyola University Chicago's School of Law. While on campus, O'Connell gave him the chance to stay with the team and serve as a graduate assistant, where he coached his former team and helped with the recruiting efforts. For him, this meant his time went beyond his years as a player and graduate assistant.
 
"When I was a GA with the team, I did a lot of the recruiting," Ambrose said. "It felt like my relationship with the team was going beyond just my four years of playing. It went even farther down the road with the recruits I helped bring in."
 
Once he left Rogers Park, he practiced law for five years until he started at Merrill Lynch., which is currently where he is employed today. 
 
Since stepping on campus in August 1986, his life has been impacted for the better. The grind of being a college athlete prepared him for life beyond Loyola as he started his professional career. With practices, lifts and class, Ambrose learned how to balance a crazy life, giving him the tools needed to succeed professionally. 
 
He also reflects on the time he spent with his teammates. Ambrose remembers the road trips with the team, fundraising events, and the team's postseason trip to Indianapolis when they ran all the way around the Indianapolis 500 race track. 
 
"These relationships are some of the most important ones to me," Ambrose said. "Some of my best friends now are the guys I played with at Loyola."
 
The Omaha, Nebraska, native still keeps in touch with his teammates. Some of his former teammates live in the Omaha area, so they are able to stay connected. However, when Coach O'Connell passed in 2019, most of the team returned for the services. Even though it was for a sad situation, it was a chance brought the team back together to remember these years.
 
"Those four years of Loyola undergrad were the most formative of my life, and the soccer experience was a big part of that," Ambrose said. "The friendships that continue today are now more important than the wins or losses. People like Ray and Carolyn O'Connell, Tom Hitcho and Fr. Leo Sweeney, the soccer chaplain who married my wife Jean and I, were instrumental in making the experience so special."