Ross Announces Move to Taylor’s Advancement Office

UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor University Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Kyle Gould, announced on Tuesday that Gary Ross would be ending his 20-year stint at the helm of the TU men's soccer program to transition into a full-time role within Taylor's Advancement Office as a Regional Director of Development.

"We are thankful for Coach Ross and the 20 years that he has poured into the men's soccer program," said Gould. "His tenure was marked with successes on the field and an unwavering commitment to the discipleship of the young men he coached. I know that he is excited about this new opportunity, and we wish him and his family the best in this new chapter of service at Taylor."

"It has been an honor to coach the men's soccer program at Taylor for the past 20 years," said Ross. "My life was so deeply impacted by coaches who poured into me that I wanted to replicate the same impact in the lives of those student-athletes that I was privileged enough to coach. I am very grateful to Kyle and the Taylor administration for the opportunity to coach men's soccer players at Taylor for so long. Taylor University men's soccer will always have a special place in my heart, and I am certainly going to always value my time at TU as a coach. At the same time, I look forward to serving the university in this new role."

Ross began his time at Taylor as a baseball and men's soccer student-athlete, before graduating in 1995. Ross returned to campus in 2002 to serve as an assistant coach with the men's soccer team, before taking over the reins of the program in 2004.

As just the second head coach for TU men's soccer since the program began in 1983, Ross piled up 155 wins over the next two decades on the sidelines with the Trojans.

That time was highlighted by the historic 2011 season, as Ross led the Trojans to a 19-2-1 mark and the first-ever regular season league championship and NAIA National Tournament bid in program history. For his efforts, Ross was named the MCC Coach of the Year, the NSCAA NAIA Mideast Region Coach of the Year and was one-of-seven finalists for the NSCAA NAIA National Coach-of-the-Year award.

The Trojans again finished near the top of the league standings in 2014, going 7-2 in league play, which led to Ross receiving the MCC Coach-of-the-Year honor for the second time in a four-year span.

In addition to his work on the sidelines, Ross teamed with Revival in our Town Ministries in Northern Ireland to lead his teams on six different mission and service trips to Ireland.

The Trojans also built a strong academic legacy under Ross, routinely ranking among the NAIA's leading men's soccer programs in a host of academic measures.

A national search for Taylor's next head men's soccer coach will begin immediately. The successful candidate will become just the third head coach in the history of the TU men's soccer program, which begin in 1983.