Mike Russo

Head Men's Soccer Coach

T.Michael.Russo@williams.edu

413-597-3329

Mike Russo will enter his 30th season at Williams having posted 26 consecutive winning seasons. In 24 of those 26 campaigns Russo's booters have won at least 10 games in a regular season that contains but 14 contests.

Russo is the first collegiate coach on any level to win back-to-back national Coach of the Year honors accomplishing the feat in 1987 and 1988, before his Ephs were allowed to participate in NCAA post season tournaments.

In the fall of 1993 NESCAC allowed NCAA team tournament play and Russo guided his Ephs to the championship contest where they lost to UC San Diego.

In 1995 Russo's Ephs won the NCAA title when they defeated previously undefeated Methodist College 2-1 on Cole Field.

Russo has been named the national Div. III Coach of the Year four times, garnering the honor again in 1993 and 1995.

Four of Russo's Ephs have been selected to their national team and have earned international caps – Mike Masters '89 and Dan Calichman '90 with the U.S., Peter Lyn '91with Puerto Rico and Khari Stephenson '04 with Jamaica.

Four of Russo's players have been named the national Div. III Player of the Year: Terry Kaufmann (1995), Brad Murray (1996), Alex Blake (2001) and Dana Leary (2006).

Forty-two Ephs coached by Russo have been named to All-America teams and 59 have earned All-New England honors.

In the first seven years that NESCAC has selected a conference Player of the Year every one has been an Eph:

            Alex Blake '03 -- (2000 & 2001)
            Khari Stephenson '04 -- (2002 & 2003)
            Josh Bolton '06 -- (2004 & 2005)
            Patrick Huffer '07 -- (2006)

In 2006 senior captain Patrick Huffer, an All-American midfielder and an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, was the first Eph to be named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Scholar-Athlete (for all divisions).

Mike and his wife Angela live in Williamstown and their son Derek now lives and works in the eastern Massachusetts. 

        Mike Russo (1979 --  )  

        355-86-44  (.777)

        Vs. Div I: 8-11-0 = .421        

        Vs. Div II: 11-3-2 = .750

        Vs. Div III: 336-72-42 = .793

    National Div III Coach of the Year:

    1987, 1988*, 1993, 1995

        *First Coach in any division to win back-to-back awards
   
    New England Coach of the Year:

    1984, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995

    NESCAC Coach of the Year:
 
    2000 & 2003 

    NCAA Div III Tournament Record:  25-9-5  (.705)

    1995 -- NCAA Champions
    1993 – 2nd Place
    1998 – 3rd Place


    NCAA Div III New England Champs:

    1993, 1995, 1996, 1998
           
    ECAC Regional Tournament of Champions Titles:

    1987 & 1988

    ECAC New England Titles:

    1987, 1988, 1989 & 1990

    Little Three Titles: 21

    1983 – 1985 – 1986 – 1987 – 1988 – 1989 – 1990 (tie) – 1991 (tie) – 1993 – 1994 – 1995 –     1996 -- 1997 (tie) – 1998 – 1999 – 2000 – 2001 – 2002 – 2003 – 2004 -- 2005

 




Tom Demeo

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach

413-597-3329

Tom Demeo joined the Williams staff in 1993 and is entering his 15th season as an assistant under Mike Russo.

After graduating from North Adams State in 1988 with a BA in history, Demeo joined the staff at UMass-Amherst and earned a Master's degree in instructional leadership before returning to North Adams State to serve as an assistant during the 1991 and 1992 seasons.

In Demeo's first season at Williams the Ephs advanced to the 1993 NCAA Championship game losing to UC San Diego. Two years later the Ephs won the NCAA title on Cole Field with a 2-1 win over previously undefeated Methodist College.

Technically and tactically proficient, Demeo's commitment to the Ephs training regimen and training sessions is highly valued by the entire Eph family.

Tom teaches at the Adams (MA) Middle School.

Tom and his wife Kristen and their two sons Dominick and Patrick reside in Adams.





Todd Downing

Goalkeeper Coach Men's Soccer

413-597-3329

Todd Downing is entering his first year as the goalkeeper coach for the Ephs. He has been involved in soccer for over 20 years as a coach and as a player.

Downing grew up in Endwell, NY and attended Oswego University, where he graduated with a BS in marketing in 1999 and was a 4-year varsity team member for both the men’s soccer and men’s swim teams.

Most recently Downing served as the men’s head soccer coach at Southern Vermont College (2004-07) and was previously was the assistant men’s and women’s soccer coach at the University of Wisconsin Platteville during the 2003-04 academic year.

Currently Downing holds a USSF National C License and a USSF level one Goalkeeping License.