Ray Leone is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

coach. He has coached women's soccer at six different schools and founded soccer programs at Berry College and Creighton University.

Education

Leone earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology from

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

Playing career

Leone played at UNCC while earning his degree. Leone was a three time all-conference selection at three different positions during his playing time there.

Coaching career

Leone began his coaching career at

Berry College Berry College is a private liberal arts college in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian pri ...

, where he started a soccer program. In his first year, he took the program to the national title game. Leone is the only head coach to accomplish this feat. The following year, Berry won the national championship under Leone's guidance. In 1988, Leone left Berry to found at soccer program at

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

. In 1994 he left Creighton to become assistant coach at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

. In 1999, Leone was promoted to head coach of the Clemson women's soccer team. Leone was promoted after his wife,

Tracey Leone Tracey Marie Leone (; born May 5, 1967) is a retired American soccer midfielder who was a member of the United States women's national soccer team. She was the first American to win a world championship as both a player and as a head coach. In ...

accepted a position to coach with the United States U-19. After leading the Tigers to the ACC Championship in the 2000 season, Leone left for the head coaching position at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. Leone is Arizona State University's winning-est women's soccer coach in their history. In 2006, Leone left Arizona State for the head coaching position at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. Leone coached at Harvard for nine seasons, leading the Crimson to five

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

championships. Leone was named Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2014. In 2016, Leone resigned as Harvard coach to accept a head coaching role with the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. Leone stayed at Maryland for six seasons, finishing with a 27–60–18 overall record. His contract was not renewed after the 2021 season.

Personal life

Leone is married to

. The pair are both women's college soccer coaches. As of 2014, they are the only two coaches in Division 1 college soccer who are married. The pair have coached together at Creighton, Clemson, Arizona State, and Harvard.

References

External links

Harvard BioArizona State Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leone, Ray Living people Berry Vikings women's soccer coaches Creighton Bluejays women's soccer coaches Clemson Tigers women's soccer coaches Arizona State Sun Devils women's soccer coaches Harvard Crimson women's soccer coaches Maryland Terrapins women's soccer coaches Charlotte 49ers men's soccer players American women's soccer coaches Association footballers not categorized by position Year of birth missing (living people) American soccer coaches Association football players not categorized by nationality