Men's Coaches
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Rob Russo
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Rob Russo enters his ninth season as head coach of the Denison men's soccer program in 2007.
In 2006 Russo lead the Big Red to a 12-4-2 record overall, finishing 7-1-1 in the conference. Denison advanced to the North Coast Athletic Conference title game and battled Allegheny for the full 90, sending the game into overtime. In the 96th minute of overtime the Big Red netted a dramatic breakaway, sending them to yet another NCAA tournament. Highlights of the season were a school record of having only 13 goals scored against the Big Red. In 2005 season Russo earned his 300th career victory, joining an elite group of active NCAA coaches who have reached the 300-win milestone and following the 2006 season he has accumulated 320 career wins.
In 2005 Russo lead the Big Red to a 11-7-2 record overall, finishing 7-2 in the conference. Denison advanced to the North Coast Athletic Conference title game and battled Allegheny for 110 minutes, forcing the match into penalty kicks. Vying for a berth to the NCAA tournament, Allegheny topped the Big Red in PKs 4-3. On Oct. 30, Russo earned his 300th career victory with a 2-1 defeat of Hiram College, joining an elite group of active NCAA coaches who have reached the 300-win milestone.
In 2003 Russo guided the Big Red to an 18-3 record and a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship. Denison began the year with a school record 13 consecutive victories and was ranked as high as second in the NSCAA/adidas Division III men’s soccer national poll. The Big Red qualified for the NCAA tournament for the seventh time in school history and the first time since 1983. He enters this season with a coaching record of 308-148-26, a .666 winning percentage. Over his seven years at Denison he has restored the winning tradition of the Big Red program and has gone 81-55-6 over that span. In addition, Russo was named the 2003 NSCAA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
Russo, who is certified by the United States Soccer Federation with an "A" license, holds a bachelor's degree in physical education (1977) from Wilmington College, where he also played varsity soccer. Russo continued his education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, earning a master's degree in health and physical education (1979). While at Miami, Russo served as both assistant and head coach of the Redhawks' men's soccer team. Most recently, he was the men's soccer coach at the State University of New York - College at Oneonta from 1995 through 1998.
Russo began his coaching career in 1978 at Miami University of Ohio as an assistant on the men's soccer staff. In 1980, he was named head coach of the program as well as serving as a physical education instructor during his time at Miami. Following his four-year stint in Oxford, Russo moved on to coach the men's soccer team at Gannon University in Erie, Pa. During his nine years at Gannon, Russo's teams appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament six times while he also garnered many individual awards there. He was named the Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Soccer Conference's Coach of the Year three times (1983, '84 and '85), Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Coach of the Year. In addition to coaching responsibilites, Russo was an instructor of physical education and the director of intramurals there, as well.
In the fall of 1991, Russo took the head coaching position at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg. During his four seasons in Spartanburg, Russo's teams advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament each year. In 1992, he was named the NSCAA South Regional Coach of the Year. He earned Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year recognition in both 1992 and 1994. Russo also served as a physical education instructor. He was president of the Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Soccer Conference in 1983. He has also organized and coached at numerous summer camps and has had the opportunity to travel abroad with his teams such as travelling to Holland this past summer with the Denison Men's Soccer team.
Along with his soccer coaching responsibilities, Russo's position includes appointment as an assistant professor in Denison's department of athletics, physical education and recreation.