Richie Grant begins his tenth year, and ninth season, as the head men's soccer coach at CSU Bakersfield, guiding the Roadrunners into their third season in the Big West Conference.
Led CSUB to 2-1 victory over old WAC-rivals GCU on Sep. 1, 2022. Also coached 2022-23 roster to friendly victory in penalties over Tijuana Xolos U-20's team, one of Mexico's premier football youth academies.
Grant has led the Bakersfield to the post-season in each of his seven previous seasons, reaching the conference tournament six times in the Western Athletic Conference and during CSUB's inaugural Big West Season in 2021, including three semi-final appearances and one conference title game.
After opting out of the 2020 campaign, the Big West debuted in 2021, with Bakersfield finishing in fourth place in the final league standings, with a 5-4-0 league record, after being picked to finish dead last in the pre-season coaches' poll. Three 'Runners earned All-Conference Honors, including captain Carlos Armendariz, who was named to the Big West 2nd-Team. Senior Aodham O'Hara was an All-Conference Honorable Mention Choice, while Bryson Hankins was named to the All-Freshman Roster.
In 2019, Grant led the `Runners to the WAC Semi-Finals during the program's final season in the conference, while mentoring high scoring forwards Niklas Koerber and Ryan Goldsmith. CSUB is set to join the Big West Conference in 2020. Eight `Runners earned All-League accolades at the conclusion of the season, including goalkeeper Detre Bell who was named First-Team All-WAC. Goldsmith was named to the league's Second-Team, while Korber was joined by Carlos Armendariz, Kendall Burks and Niall Owens as Honorable Mention honorees. Michael Vogel and Harry Downing were both named to the All-Rookie squad.
Since becoming head man at CSUB, Grant has produced 18 All-Conference selections, six All-Conference Freshman choices, seven All-Tournament picks, five NSCAA All-Region selections and 33 Academic All-WAC honorees.
Grant became the 50th active Division I men’s soccer head coach to win at least 200 matches in his career on Sept. 24, 2015 when the Roadrunners defeated San Francisco 2-1 in overtime. In 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Grant boasts a 236-211-38 overall record.
Grant led the Roadrunners to the WAC Tournament Championship match in 2014, tying UNLV before the Rebels advanced on penalty kicks. Grant’s ‘Runners went 10-7-5, playing in front of a national audience on Oct. 4, 2014 when CSUB defeated San Jose State 5-1 on NSCAA TV.
Grant, the all-time winningest coach in Memphis history, compiled a 135-116-22 record in 15 seasons at the helm of the Tigers while also winning two Conference USA Coach of the Year Awards in 2000 and 2004. In both of those seasons, he led Memphis to program-records for victories while also leading Memphis to the 2004 C-USA Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Grant was one of just four coaches in C-USA to earn two ‘Coach of the Year’ awards. An offensive-minded coach whose teams are never short of goal production, his 2004 squad finished in the NCAA Top-10 in goals scored while earning its tournament berth. Post season appearances were the norm for Memphis under Grant, as he led the Tigers to a berth in the C-USA Tournament eight times and led the team into the first American Athletic Conference Tournament in 2013, finishing 9-8-1 in his final season in Memphis.
Along with wins and individual honors, Grant coached the only Memphis Tiger named C-USA Player of the Year in Mark Sherrod (2011), while also coaching Sherrod and Dayton O’Brien who combined to win three C-USA Offensive Player of the Year Awards as well. With an eye for recruiting and developing talent, Grant has also seen former players advance to the professional ranks. In 2005, O’Brien and teammate Andy Metcalf became the first Tigers drafted by Major League Soccer (MLS). Metcalf became a member of the D.C. United, and O’Brien joined the Columbus Crew. In 2008, another former player under Grant, Daniel Dobson became a member of the then Kansas City Wizards.
Off the field, his teams have won National Soccer Coaches Association of America team academic awards in six of the last eight seasons and have had players named to the NSCAA Scholar All-American teams in two of the past three seasons.
As a player, Grant was a three-time NAIA All-America defender and was twice named the NAIA District V Player of the Year at Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vt., where he received his bachelor’s degree in leisure resources and facilities management in 1993. Grant went on to play one season for the Minnesota Thunder, a semi-pro team that competed in the A-League.
After one year with the Thunder, Grant took a coaching position at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania and earned his master’s degree in communication studies while working as an assistant coach from 1993-94.
In 1995, he was named head coach at Lambuth University where he was selected Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1995 while also leading his squad to a TCAC championship. He also led the program to a pair of Mid-South Conference Championships in 1997 and 1998 before departing for Memphis with a 53-25-2 record.
Grant is married to Jodi Grant (formerly Fisher). The couple has three children: a son, Hayden and daughters, Katelyn and Juliana.
