| Richie Grant |
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In 2007, Grant reached 89 wins and moved his Memphis career winning percentage up to .569, which ranks him as the winningest coach in school history. Grant led the Tigers to 10-wins for the third consecutive season, finishing with an overall record of 10-5-4 in 2007. Many of Grant's players had honors bestowed upon them last season. The Tigers' four NSCAA All-Midwest team honorees were the most in Memphis soccer history. On top of earning all-region honors, five Tiger players were named to the All-C-USA team, including Ryan Ruble, who became the seventh freshman of Grant's career to be named to the C-USA All-Freshman team. Off of the soccer field, Grant's players stayed active in the classroom as they received numerous academic awards, including Jared Britcher who was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America third team for the second time in his career.
Grant has been named C-USA Coach of the Year twice in his career and led his 2004 team to a conference title and its first NCAA appearance since 1993. Ever since 2004, Grant's team has been in the Top 25 at least once during the season and has been ranked as high as No. 10 nationally. Since his arrival at Memphis in 1999, Grant has failed to reach the .500 mark only twice.
Immediately following the 2004 conference championship, proof of the team's overall strength was solidified in the form of a nationally-ranked offense, Grant's fourth in seven years. The 2005 Tigers led C-USA and were third in the nation in goals-per-game (2.56) and were second in C-USA in goals (46), assists (43) and points (135). Two forwards from the 2005 squad were drafted by Major League Soccer (MLS) franchises.
The 2004 campaign also marked a new era of defensive dominance for Memphis soccer. The defensive unit set school records for goals allowed and goals-against average (0.70), which was ninth-best in the country. The following season, goalkeeper Tyler Strom led C-USA with a .815 save percentage.
The 2006 campaign showed the same kind of promise. The Tigers opened the season with eight wins in their first 10 matches and reached a No. 15 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
Prior to his arrival at Memphis, Grant led the turn around for the Lambuth University soccer program in Jackson, Tenn. In his four years at Lambuth, he led the Eagles to consecutive Mid-South Conference titles and an NAIA Region XI championship while posting a 53-29-2 record.
In his 13 years as a head coach, Grant has amassed 142 wins and a .593 winning percentage. In his nine years at Memphis, he is 89-66-12.
As a player, Grant was a three-time NAIA All-American 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 for the Minnesota Thunder, a semi-pro team that competes in the A-League.
After one season 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 1993-95.
Grant earned his NSCAA Advanced National Diploma in 1997 and his NSCAA Premier Diploma in 2002. He served as the head coach of Tennessee's Under-23 Olympic Development Team in 2001. He is currently in his seventh year at the helm of the Tennessee U-17 ODP squad. Grant served as the head coach of the U-17 Super Clubs national all-star team, which toured England in the summer of 2001 for a week of matches against top international competition.
Grant is married to Memphis assistant women's soccer coach Jodi Grant. The couple welcomed the birth of their first son, Hayden, in January of 2009. Grant's parents, Richie and Annette, live in Dublin, Ireland. He has four siblings.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Year W-L-T PCT. CONF. HOME ROAD NEUTRAL
1999 7-11-0 .389 2-6-0 4-5-0 2-6-0 1-0-0
2000 14-6-0 .700 6-4-0 6-3-0 4-1-0 4-2-0
2001 6-9-2 .412 3-6-1 4-3-1 2-4-1 0-2-0
2002 10-7-1 .583 3-7-1 4-4-0 6-3-1 0-0-0
2003 8-8-2 .500 1-6-2 4-4-2 2-4-0 2-0-0
2004 16-4-1 .786 8-1-0 8-1-0 5-3-1 3-0-0
2005 8-8-2 .500 3-4-2 5-2-1 2-5-1 1-1-0
2006 10-8-0 .555 6-3-0 3-1-0 0-4-0 0-0-0
2007 10-5-4 .632 3-2-3 7-1-2 1-3-1 2-1-1
Total 89-66-12 .569 35-39-9 45-24-6 24-33-5 13-6-1
