Grinnell College Athletics

Chad Stewart ’97 has served as a mainstay in both the Grinnell College record books and the men’s soccer community. Playing for coaches John Pfitsch and Tom McCullen, Stewart made his team better every time he stepped on the pitch and was a model of true team play. Although he is fifth all-time for goals scored (31), his true passion was using creativity, speed, and vision to assist his teammates. Stewart is Grinnell’s all-time leader in all of the following categories:  total assists in a career (33), assists per game (.67), and assists in a season (12). He also is third all-time at Grinnell for total points (95) and second all-time in the Midwest Conference for total assists in a career (33). He achieved these statistics despite having missed nearly his entire sophomore season due to injury. Stewart rose to the occasion in back-to-back Midwest Conference Tournament final games to help Grinnell secure the championships. He scored two goals and assisted on a third to help defeat St. Norbert College 4-2 his freshman year, and then returned from injury to score the game-winner in overtime against the same opponent the following year. For his contributions, Stewart was elected as a two-year captain, voted most valuable player his junior year, and received the Coach’s Award in 1997. Stewart has remained connected with Grinnell soccer over the years, returning regularly for the yearly alumni weekend and game to help pass on to the next generation a tradition and community he loves. Stewart has never lost his love for the game — he has played with and coached multiple soccer teams since his time at Grinnell. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Grinnell with honors in both of his majors, economics and French, Stewart went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota Law School. He is a partner at the law firm Ballard Spahr LLP. He lives in St. Louis Park, Minn., with his wife Stacey and their two daughters, Adeline and Mira.