Messiah Announces McCarty As Next Men's Soccer Head Coach
Posted: 2/9/2009
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Messiah men's soccer kept it in the family Monday, as the school announced longtime assistant coach Brad McCarty (right) as the new program leader.

Grantham, PA — The Messiah College intercollegiate athletics department announced Brad McCarty as its new men’s soccer head coach Monday afternoon, concluding a national search by appointing one of its very own.

Messiah’s top assistant coach for the past eight years, McCarty becomes the seventh head coach in the program’s 42-year history, taking over for 12-year leader Dave Brandt who resigned in December to accept the same position at the United States Naval Academy.

“We are thrilled that Brad has accepted this new role,” said Jerry Chaplin, Messiah director of athletics. “His commitment to Messiah men’s soccer, as well as to Messiah athletics, has been both significant and noticed. We did an exhaustive national search, and it’s great that the journey brought us all the way back to Grantham to find the right candidate.”

A 1993 Messiah grad, McCarty helped the Falcons’ program to five of its six NCAA Division III National Championships, returning to his alma mater at the outset of the 2001 season as the program’s top assistant. Success was quick to follow, as Messiah claimed national titles in the 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008 seasons — posting an overall 173-14-8 record (.908) with McCarty on staff.

During McCarty’s time as an assistant, Messiah reached the Final Four in all but one season, while 15 National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Americans and four NSCAA National Players of the Year have come through the program.

“I’m extremely honored and excited about the opportunity to be the head coach of Messiah College men’s soccer,” McCarty said Monday. “My desire is to work as hard as I possibly can to maintain our core ideology. The principles and values of our program are what makes this a special place, and I see it as my responsibility to be true to those ideals.”

A standout performer on Shoemaker Field as a collegian, McCarty claimed NSCAA All-Region honors as a senior and was a two-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference First Team member. He earned Adidas First Team All-America Scholar-Athlete accolades as a senior, continuing on to play professional soccer for four seasons. McCarty was a member of the United Soccer League’s Charlotte Eagles Soccer Club during the summers of 1993 to 1995 and again in 1997, becoming a staple in the franchise’s backfield.

During his playing career, McCarty assumed other duties during the off-seasons, coming back to Messiah in the fall of 1993 to coach the men’s junior varsity squad. He obtained his first collegiate head coaching role the following year, taking over the reigns of the Hesston College (NJCAA Division I, Hesston, Kan.) men’s soccer program at the start of the 1994 fall season. He remained with the Larks’ program for six years, departing to take over the women’s soccer program at Erskine College (NCAA Division II, Due West, S.C.) in 2000.

After spending one season with the Flying Fleet, McCarty returned to his alma mater to work under Brandt, helping Messiah’s former leader to unprecedented levels of success at the Division III level.

“I am thrilled both for Brad personally and the program that means so much to both of us,” Brandt said Monday from Annapolis. “Brad and I have worked side by side over the past eight years and during that time he has been an integral part of the seven Final Fours and five national championships. There's not another coach in the country with the combination of that kind of resume and the intimate knowledge of the Messiah program and what makes it unique and special. While I will miss not being a direct part of it, I am looking forward to watching the program continue to grow, thrive and lead under Brad's direction.”

Chaplin said that McCarty will retain his assistant athletics director title and continue to serve in the department administration — a duty he assumed in conjunction with his assistant coaching role upon returning to campus in 2001.

“Brad served as a successful head soccer coach at two institutions prior to his coming back to Messiah,” Chaplin said. “During those years, he implemented many of the things that he learned while he was a student-athlete here, and he is well-prepared for the challenges of coaching an elite Division III program. His Messiah experience is a big plus for our program. Brad knows our players, knows our recruits, knows our alumni base and knows the institution. He knows what is important in coaching at Messiah, and it's wonderful to be able to hire a member of the Falcon soccer family to lead the program with distinction.”

McCarty said that his first task will be completing his coaching staff. Recruiting and game scheduling for the 2009 season have been completed, while the program will return 21 of 27 players off this year’s national championship squad.

“I think, for the immediate, it’s setting a tone for our off-season,” McCarty said of his upcoming duties. “I’ve got to get the right people on the bus and put together a formidable coaching staff. With the additional responsibility as the head coach comes the added pressure to maintain the pride of our program and to maintain excellence both on and off the field. I fully understand the implications of that, and I view it as a challenge for me, the players and our coaching staff as a whole.

“I’m passionate about the men’s soccer program, the athletic department and the college as a whole, and look forward to being a part of Messiah for a long time to come,” he continued.

In addition to his coaching duties, McCarty served as a health and physical education professor at both Hesston and Erskine, assuming an assistant athletics director position at the former in the spring of 1997. He worked as an assistant general manager with the Charlotte Eagles Soccer Club during the summer of that year, and served as the NJCAA Region VI Men’s Soccer Chairperson during his final four years at Hesston.

He attended Christopher Dock High School and played for current Eastern Mennonite University men’s soccer head coach Roger Mast, going on to play for legendary Messiah head coach Layton Shoemaker, among others.

“In addition to playing for Coach Shoemaker and working with Coach Brandt, I was able to play for Coach Mast in high school and Coach (Brian) Davidson and Coach (Mark) Steffans while in Charlotte,” McCarty said. “I’ve been fortunate to develop a good understanding of the game based on my experiences with those quality coaches.”

McCarty has long been a major part of Messiah’s highly successful summer soccer camps, and has traveled to work the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Butler University soccer camps as well. He’s performed soccer clinics for area high schools, and will take over as director of the Messiah College boys’ soccer camps in conjunction with his head coaching role.

McCarty graduated from Messiah in 1993 with a degree in health and physical education. He completed his master’s degree Summa Cum Laude at Wichita State University in December of 1997, focusing on sports administration.

“Messiah College is very fortunate to have Brad McCarty assume the role of men’s soccer head coach,” said Messiah College President Kim Phipps. “Brad has served our institution with distinction for the past eight years and we look forward to his visionary leadership of such an outstanding athletic program.”