ROMAN TULIS
August 3, 1955 – March 4, 2010

Prayers will be offered at Our Lady of Fatima Parish (315 Walker Street, Coquitlam) on Monday, March 15th at 7:00 PM and a Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, March 16th at 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the British Columbia Childhood Cancer Patient’s Association - www.bcccpa.org. We ask that all current and former Tulis players please wear their Tulis track suit in support of Roman.

Roman Tulis, whose elite Burnaby based soccer school turned out top-flight players around the world, passed away Thursday evening March 4th at 10 PM at the age of 54 with his family at his side after an incredibly brave battle with cancer.

Born in the High Tatra Mountains of Slovakia, Roman was well respected and admired in the international soccer community in Europe, as well as in Vancouver for his European Soccer School of Excellence. Roman played soccer professionally in Slovakia but his career ended early due to knee injuries. This led him to what he was really meant to do in life which was to coach professionally. He started his coaching career with Slovan Bratislava and was soon coaching the Czechoslovakian youth national team.

In 1986 Roman visited Vancouver for EXPO, and fell in love with the city. In 1988, he and his wife, Danka, moved to Vancouver and began working for the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Word of his coaching ability soon led to him becoming a coach of the BC Provincial Boys Soccer Team.

In 1993 Roman opened the Roman Tulis European Soccer School of Excellence in Burnaby with only 12 students - the first of its kind to operate year round in Canada. The full time soccer school now coaches over 200 players and is a huge success story with Tulis alumni going on to play professionally around the world or receiving university scholarships throughout the United States and Canada.

The BC soccer community lost a beloved friend, a tireless promoter, and one of its most precious commodities. Roman has shaped many young lives; he will be remembered for his incredible ability to prepare players to play at an international level, for his constant encouragement to get a university education and, perhaps above all, for his emphasis on developing good people, not just good soccer players. Roman's gentle yet firm way of teaching the students the values of dedication, diligence, and discipline in every walk of life will be sadly and greatly missed.

Roman is survived by his wife of 29 years, Danka, his son Roman Jr. and daughter Nicole. He is predeceased by his parents, Ernest and Maria. Roman and his family wanted to thank Dr Aubin and Charlene Gill at the BC Cancer agency. Dr. Kalden in Germany, Dr. Dubland and the wonderful nurses and staff of the Palliative Care Unit at the Burnaby Hospital, Dr. Neumann and the ICU staff at the Royal Columbian Hospital.

Copyright © by European Soccer School of Excellence - World Class Soccer Program - Roman Tulis - Greater Vancouver, BC, Canada All Right Reserved.

Published on: 2010-03-04 (1564 reads)