Feb. 28, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.UCFAthletics.com) - Director of Athletics and Executive Vice President Keith R. Tribble has announced the hiring of Bryan Cunningham as head coach of the Golden Knight's men's soccer program.
Cunningham, UCF's top men's soccer assistant the past two seasons and most recently interim head coach, was formally named the program's head coach on February 27, 2007. Given the interim title on January 26 following the resignation of former head coach Brent Erwin, Cunningham becomes UCF's fifth all-time men's soccer coach.
"I want to thank [UCF Director of Athletics] Keith Tribble for elevating me to full-time head coach," said Cunningham. "It has long been a professional goal of mine to serve as head coach at a major Division I-A institution and it makes me especially proud that it will be at UCF."
"Allow me to start off by congratulating Coach [Bryan] Cunningham on his elevation to head coach of the Golden Knight's men's soccer program," added Tribble. "There is no question our commitment to this program along with our expectations is approaching an all-time high. Bryan gives us the best opportunity to reach this level and we are honored to have him as our head coach.
Cunningham first joined the UCF men's soccer program as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator in May 2005 after serving in a similar position at South Carolina for three years.
Cunningham's first recruiting class at UCF featured 19 players, including 13 freshmen, and was ranked in the top 30 nationally by College Soccer News and first in the South Region by StudentSports.com. By the end of 2006, three of those players earned All-Conference USA honors.
As a member of the Gamecocks' staff, Cunningham recruited several highly-touted student-athletes into the program. Among the recruits were Mike Sambursky, a 2007 draftee of the MLS Champion Houston Dynamo; Makan Hislop, Captain of the U-20 Trinidad and Tobago National Team.
On the field, Cunningham helped guide the Gamecocks to a 21-14-3 mark and an NCAA Tournament berth in his final season. Both seasons USC was ranked as high as seventh in the national polls. In the classroom, 10 student-athletes from the men's soccer team were named to the All-SEC Academic Team during his tenure.
Prior to USC, Cunningham was assistant coach at Appalachian State for five seasons under the tutelage of two Southern Conference Coach of Year award winners in T.J. Kostecky and Aidan Heaney, respectively. With ASU, he worked with eight All-South Region honorees, a Southern Conference Player of the Year, 13 All-Southern Conference selections and a College Soccer News Freshmen All-American. ASU also boasted an Academic All-American and 18 players on the Southern Conference All-Academic team.
In addition to his coaching experience at the collegiate level, he was also active in the North Carolina and South Carolina Olympic Development Programs. On the international level, Cunningham presently serves as a tactical and training advisor for the Northern Ireland U-18 Schoolboys and managers Bob Ramsey and Andy McMorran. He has been invited to complete his UEFA-B license over the 2007 summer.
An avid believer in having his program give back to the community, Cunningham has been active promoting youth soccer in the Seminole and Orange County school systems. For the past two seasons, he has been the guiding force in UCF's men's soccer involvement in the annual Youth Sports Festival.
A native of Philadelphia, Cunningham was a four-year letterwinner and three-time captain for the Pfeiffer University soccer team. The Falcons won two Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference Championships and earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He was also a four-time Scholar-Athlete and Dean's List honoree, while appearing in the Who's Who Among American College Students.
Cunningham, who holds a bachelor's degree in communications, resides in Orlando with his wife Amy and daughter, Elyn Elizabeth.