Baker Proud Fall 2017 - 17

BAKER PROUD | Fall 2017

professional stadium debut, the realization of his dream
began in an orange uniform while playing for head coach
Nate Houser, '94, who now also serves as Baker's athletic
director.
"I firmly believe that every practice and game that I
was a part of at Baker has helped prepare me to be able to
take advantage of my post-collegiate opportunities. Wins,
losses, bad games, good games, bad practices, good practices all played an important role in my development back
then and now," Didic said. "As I practice now, these experiences still replay in my mind. All of the coaches helped
prepare me for my opportunities; however, there were two
that had greater impacts. Nate Houser and [former women's head coach and assistant men's coach] Davy Phillips,
'96, MLA '11, both taught me a lot about the game of
soccer, but most importantly, they taught me more about
other things that I feel were most important to my development as a person and as a soccer player. Things such as
work ethic, leadership, accountability, and respect."
A Career Kicks Off
Years before he was named the Heart MVP, Didic met
Nate Houser following a game at Archbishop O'Leary High
School in Edmonton, Canada, Didic's alma mater. After an
impressive performance on the pitch, Houser and Didic
discussed Baker.
"When I first watched Amer play, it was very clear that
he had a huge upside ahead of him. He was only 17 and
hadn't finished growing into his 6' 5" frame," Houser said.
"After speaking with Amer, I began to get the measure of
a young man with two very clear goals. First, he wanted
to get a college education. This is something that meant a
great deal to Amer and his family. Second, Amer wanted
to be a professional soccer player, and he was willing to
invest the time and trust the environment to achieve that
goal. The best part, though, would reveal itself over the
next four years. He is a very caring and honest person,
works extremely hard, and is a fantastic teammate and
leader. We were very fortunate to have Amer here, because as he grew as a young man, he made everyone
around him better on and off the field."
With Baldwin City as his backdrop, Didic found a place
to grow as a student-athlete. At Baker, Didic made 84
appearances, scoring 28 goals and adding six assists from
central defense. He led the team in goals his junior and
senior years.

"The environment set me up so that I could have a
chance to be as successful as I can be. The small school in
a small-town environment created little distraction. For a
small school, it had everything I needed-great education,
great professors, great staff, and great coaching. I truly
think that the school does a fantastic job in appointing
coaches to the various athletic programs because as a
school, we do very well in many things. By doing well, the
overall level of the team rises, which is a result of your
individual level rising. That's what these coaches do, and
specifically what Nate Houser and his coaching continue
to do every year."
Living in the Now
As his dream of becoming a Major League Soccer
player is being realized, Didic maintains a defensive role
on Sporting KC's 2017 roster. To add to his breakout year,
Didic was recently named to the Canada Men's National
Team for the first time.

"I love the challenge. I don't know whether to call
it difficult; I would call it challenging. I knew deep down
that if I kept working hard and stayed true to myself, that
more opportunities would open," Didic said. "Of course it
was rewarding, but I know that this is just a small step as I
have bigger goals I want to achieve."

Didic made a significant impact during his years as a
Wildcat. "A lot of guys are the thermometer and can tell
you the temperature in the room, but Amer controls it,"
said head coach Nate Houser.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baker Proud Fall 2017