Moon Township, Pa. – Bill Denniston announced his retirement Tuesday as RMU head men's soccer coach.
"It's been a pleasure and honor to serve the student-athletes for the men's soccer program at Robert Morris," Denniston said. "Watching them develop both on the field and off, I'm proud to have played a small part in their development. As I move into the next chapter of my life, I look forward to seeing how the program continues its progression as it enters a new era."
Denniston is the third head coach in RMU athletic department history to coach at least 20 years with one program for the Colonials. Named head coach March 19, 1997, Denniston spent 23 years on the sidelines at Robert Morris, helping guide the Colonials to the 2001 Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship as well as the 2005 NEC Tournament title and subsequent bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"We want to thank Bill for his years of dedication and service to RMU, and I truly respect his decision to move onto the next phase of his life," RMU Vice President and Director of Athletics
Chris King '94 said. "Coach Denniston cares deeply about this university and the men's soccer program, and he has had a lasting impact on the lives of past and current student-athletes. I know I speak for everyone in the RMU community when I express gratitude for all that Bill has brought to the game of soccer and to Robert Morris University. He will be remembered for his contributions to the success of our athletic department and the men's soccer program."
During his tenure, Denniston coached 20 student-athletes that earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region accolades. Included in that group was former forward
Neco Brett (2012-15), who was named NEC Player of the Year three consecutive years (2013, 2014, 2015). Brett, who was selected in the second round (40th overall pick) of the 2016 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft by the Portland Timbers, became the first student-athlete in NEC history to be named player of the year three times. Brett currently plays for the Birmingham Legion of USL Championship after spending the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
Denniston also recruited and coached former midfielder Devon "Speedy" Williams (2011-14), who appeared on the Jamaican National Team and helped both the New York Red Bulls II (2016) and Louisville City FC (2017, 2018) to USL championships.
"Stability and consistency have been the trademarks of RMU men's soccer for the two-plus decades thanks to
Bill Denniston," RMU Senior Associate Athletic Director
Marty Galosi said. "His passion and attention to every aspect of the program are the reasons why it was legitimately in the running for a conference championship year after year. That's somewhat rare these days for that long a period of time. Bill was able to adapt to the changing landscape each season and keep our teams in contention. Above all, he constantly kept his student-athletes as the No. 1 priority. Bill leaves RMU men's soccer in firm footing, and we thank him for all he's done."
A pair of Denniston's former student-athletes have been enshrined in the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame, including Jason DeFranco (1998-2001) and Rhian Dodds (1998-2002). DeFranco is the only three-time captain in program history, while Dodds was named the 2002 NEC Player of the Year.
Prior to RMU, Denniston spent three years as head coach at Alderson Broaddus College in West Virginia. Each of his three teams for the Battlers were ranked in the top 20 nationally at the NCAA Division II level.
A 1983 graduate of Bethany College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education, Denniston concluded his career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 88 points. He was an All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) honoree each of his four years with the Bison as well as a three-time All-American. Denniston served as captain of the 1982 Bethany team that was an NCAA Division II finalist.
RMU will begin a national search to identify its next head men's soccer coach.
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