St. Mary’s College of Maryland head men’s soccer coach Herb Gainey has been named the 2006 Maryland State Youth Soccer Association (MSYSA) Donald Minnegan Girls Coach of the Year. Gainey was acknowledged with the honor this past Friday evening, May 12, 2006, at the 32nd Annual Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame Banquet held in Fullerton, Maryland.
“This is quite an honor to be selected for such a prestigious award,” stated Gainey. “To receive an award with Dr. Minnegan’s named associated with it is truly one of the highlights of my coaching career. I would like to thank the MSYSA for allowing me the opportunity to coach ODP girls. It has been a professionally rewarding experience for me and I look forward to working with the program in the future.”
Gainey was recognized as the recipient for the award after serving as coach of the MSYSA’s Girl’s Olympic Development Program (ODP), claiming back-to-back national championships the past two seasons. The national titles are the first such titles won by Maryland ODP teams.
Gainey has also coached youth and high school teams during his nearly 30-year involvement with the sport of soccer. He helped to develop the Northern Soccer League, one of the first youth leagues in St. Mary’s County, back in the 1970’s. He has also been instrumental in establishing the South Region of the MSYSA’s District Development Program and is the Director of Coaching for the St. Mary’s youth soccer club.
Gainey was hired as the head men’s soccer coach at St. Mary’s (Md.) in 2002. He has led the program to a four-year overall record of 47-24-4 and was named the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Coach of the Year in his inaugural season of 2002, when he led the program to a 15-5 record.