Marshall University Athletics
Gray Embarks on 20th Season at Marshall
9/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Note: This story originally appeared in the Sept. 6 Football Program.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.- The sun is already beating down on Hoops Family Field at Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex, even at 10 a.m. With three days to prepare for the first regular-season game, players are in the midst of a physical training session. Standing in the middle of the action, yelling words of advice and encouragement, is a man that has been the face of Marshall men's soccer since before some of the players on the field were born.
Bob Gray is now in his 20th season as Marshall coach. Gray began coaching the Thundering Herd in the 1995 season and took a team that had gone 4-14-2 in 1994 to a finish of 10-10 in 1995.
Gray had two highly successful head coaching stops before Marshall. From 1978 to 1991, Gray coached his alma mater, Alderson-Broaddus. Gray also coached the University of Mobile. Along with 255 wins combined from those programs, Gray also finished second in the NAIA three times and third twice.
Gray said he knew all along that soccer would be the sport he wanted to pursue, even though he played three varsity sports (soccer, baseball, and bowling) at A.B., earning 10 letters.
"Soccer is always the sport I enjoyed the most because of the physical nature of the game. You have to be fit, work hard and want it more than your opponents," Gray said.
Gray also said he contributes his love of soccer to his upbringing in soccer-crazy New Jersey.
"I grew up in Trenton, New Jersey, which was a very diverse area," Gray said. "So, you had these German American, Italian American and Hungarian American clubs, you name it. So I got a taste of it from growing up there. I think I always knew soccer would be my sport."
West Virginia and New Jersey are not only far apart geographically, but also culturally. From his time in West Virginia, though, Gray said he has grown to appreciate the state and the Marshall region.
"I fell in love with West Virginia," Gray said. "Having grown up in a very metropolitan area that's a rat race with traffic and everyone's in a rush, I love the slow pace of life here. I love the surroundings and the beauty of West Virginia. Marshall has been a dream come true. I have the best of both worlds. It's not a huge city, but it's a great college town and we have great facilities and great athletic support."
Not only is this Gray's 20th season at Marshall, but his 38th overall as a college head coach. Gray said the ability to stay competitive this long is just a part of who he is.
"Well, anybody that coaches any sport is probably a little crazy and has that mentality that they are competitive at whatever they do," Gray said. "It's a great way to make a living, but it's a stressful way to make a living. You have to have that in your DNA. The reality is, I've been competitive my whole life."
Gray has received numerous honors, including induction into the NAIA and Alderson-Broaddus halls of fame, a leading role with the MLS Combine and Coach of the Year awards in Conference USA in 2005 and 2009, and with the MAC in 2000.
Even with all the awards, Gray said that he likes to focus on relationships that can be forged through college soccer.
"The accolades are nice, don't get me wrong, but I've learned the game of soccer is about networking, making friends and doing the right things," Gray said.
Gray also acknowledges that he has had help along the way, most notably from his parents, Henry and Claire.
"The bottom line is you don't get where you are without people helping you along the way," Gray said. "For me, it started with my parents. They gave me the opportunity to compete and gave me the right moral dimensions to be successful and they support me in whatever I'm trying to do. I've loved them for that. My mom passed away several years ago, but I think about her every day."
Gray said he believes in positive reinforcement for his players, but also said it has to be earned. Junior Nick Edginton (Wellington, New Zealand) is starting his third season with Gray and said it is always great to earn Gray's praise.
"It's hard to get a 'good job' out of him," Edginton said. "When you get that that's always a big one. In the South Carolina game last year he came up to me and it was really simple, he said 'You played really well today, Nick.' I was like, wow. It means a lot when it comes from him."
Last season, Gray and the program opened the new Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex. Gray said spending each day in the facility is like a dream come true.
"I pinch myself all the time and think 'Has this really happened?'" Gray said. "It's a beautiful facility and a place we can take ownership of. We're very fortunate that we have this setting. I think it's just a small piece of the pie about what's happening with soccer in this country."
Gray and the Thundering Herd will be hoping to make year 20 a successful one for all involved.
