COACHING STAFF
COACHING STAFF
Rich Posipanko is in his 25th season
at Winthrop and 35th season as a head
coach.
For the past twenty-four seasons, the
Eagles have averaged over 10 wins per
season in the toughest region in the Nation.
The Eagles were 15-7-1 in 2002 that led
to a regular season and tournament Big
South championship and NCAA College
Cup South Region appearance. In 2005,
the Eagles finished 12-8-1 and finished as
the Big South Runner-Up for the third time
under Posipanko and fifth time overall. In
2006 the Eagles once again claimed the
Big South regular season and tournament
championship and advanced to the NCAA
College Cup South Atlantic Regional with
a 15-3-4 record. In 2008 the Eagles were
again Big South Regular Season and
Tournament Champions with a record of 15-
6-1. Posipanko was also selected Big South
Coach of the Year for the third time and led
his team back to the NCAA College Cup in
2008. In 2009 the Eagles one again were
Big South Champions and made it back to
the NCAA College Cup with a 11-6-4 record.
This past season, 2012, the Eagles once
again won the Big South Championship
and advanced to the second round of the
NCAA College Cup with a record of 12-8-2.
They also finished the 2012 season ranked
in all three polls. The Eagles have also
been successful in the classroom as well,
receiving the NSCAA Academic Award six
out of the past seven years for receiving a
3.0 Team GPA or better.
The Levittown, Pennsylvania, native
will look to mold a group of veterans and
talented newcomers into a solid team this
year which hopefully will make a run at the
conference championship and a trip back
to the NCAA College Cup. The 1991, 2006
& 2008 Big South Conference Coach of
the Year has compiled a career record of
357-251-54 and has a Winthrop mark of
240-202-34. Posipanko is currently ranked
7th among NCAA Division I active coaches
in total victories. He is also ranked 21st
on the All-Time list for victories. In 2002 he
became the winningest coach in Winthrop
history with 134 wins. Posipanko is also the
winningest coach in Longwood University
history with 117 wins and is the All-Time
winningest coach in Big South Conference
history with 240 total victories. During the
2007 season Posipanko reached the 300
career win mark and joined an elite group
of only 52 coaches in NCAA history (all
divisions) and 25 coaches at the Div. I level
to reach this plateau.
Before coming to Winthrop, Posipanko
spent 10 successful years as head coach of
Longwood University in Virginia where he
compiled a record of 117-49-20. During his
last seven years at “The Wood”, Posipanko
guided his squads to the NCAA Division II
top 20 ranking and also developed seven
All-Americans.
Posipanko better known as “Gaffer”
by his players and peers has had a long
list of successes through his years of
coaching. Prior to his position at Longwood,
Posipanko served as the assistant coach
at College of New Jersey (formally known
as Trenton State College) for three years.
He also coached the Virginia State Team
in the Olympic Development Program from
1986-1989. While at Longwood, Posipanko
Head Coach
Rich Posipanko
25th Season
Daniel Ridenhour
Associate Head Coach
Brock Duckworth
Goalkeeper Coach
Click on photos to access online bio
Cameron Alksnis
Assistant Coach
was honored three times — 1982, 1984,
and 1986 — as the Virginia Coach of the
Year and in 1982 and 1984 he was tabbed
Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year.
In addition to his college coaching
experience, Posipanko coached
professionally serving as assistant coach of
the Houston Dynamos in the United States
Soccer League in 1985.
Posipanko is dedicated to soccer
and spends much of his free time trying to
improve the college game and give back
to the local community with many summer
soccer camps and clinics. He has served
on numerous committees including the
NCAA Academic All-American Selection
Committee; chair of the Intercollegiate
Soccer Association of America South Rating
Board; chair of the NCAA Soccer Selection
Committee for the south region; President
of the Virginia Intercollegiate Soccer
Association; and 1992 President of the Big
South Conference Soccer Coaches.
Posipanko has raised over $63,000
for the American Cancer Society over the
past three years through the annual Kicks
Against Cancer Game and Champions
Night.
He is also very active on the
fundraising front. He has raised over
$200,000 over the years for the soccer
program including many of the upgrades to
Eagle Field, enhanced scholarship funding
and helped increase the operational budget.
He also started the Manchester Cup each
spring which has become one of the top
college showcases in the nation drawing
huge crowds.
During his 34 years as a collegiate
head coach he’s had 144 All-Conference
players, 59 All-Region selections, 14 All-
Americans, four Olympic team players,
two Freshmen of the Year, three Player
of the Year, 30 Academic All-Americans,
six national team members and a Lowes
Senior Award Top 10 finalist and Walter
Byers Scholarship Finalist.
A 1974 graduate of Slippery Rock
University with a degree in health and
physical education, Posipanko earned his
master’s degree in the same field with a
concentration in administration and athletic
management in 1979 from the College of
New Jersey (Trenton State College). He
is married to the former Gayle Keener of
Amelia, VA.
Assistant Coaches
