 Earle
Davidson
Head Coach
Belmont soccer has known one coach in the NCAA
era: Earle Davidson. Committed to academic achievement and respected
in the soccer community, Earle Davidson is entering his eleventh season
at the helm of the Belmont soccer program.
The 2003 Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year led Belmont
to a 7-92 record in the 2006 season, highlighted by four non-conference
home wins and three players earning all-Atlantic Sun honors (Jay Ayres,
Ian Schinelli, and Eric Susewind). Ayres was in fact named A-Sun Defensive
Player of the Year. Belmont has reached the conference tournament each
of the past four seasons.
In 2005, the squad saw junior J.P. Rodrigues
named Defensive Player of the Year in addition to his placement on the
all-conference first team. Sophomore Eric Susewind earned second team
honors.
The Bruins had a breakout season in 2003 under
Davidson's direction. The team improved their win total by four matches,
equaling the school record for wins with nine, and qualified for postseason
play for the first time since 1995.
Behind the prolific goal scoring of two-time
All-Atlantic Sun Conference selection Fernando Castellanos, the Bruins
went 9-7-1 and finished tied for second in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Belmont drew Stetson in the first round of the A-Sun Championship, but
an early injury to Castellanos forced a juggling of the lineup before
the team finally fell on penalty kicks.
Davidson's commitment to tightening up the defensive
end helped spark the team's rejuvenation. Goalkeeper Matt Renfrow along
with Carey Alexander and freshmen starters Chris Anderson and J.P. Rodrigues
led the team to a school record six shutouts while the team posted their
first sub-2.00 GAA since the 1995 campaign.
"Our patience has paid off and it appears
that Earle has the program on the verge of becoming a yearly contender
in the Atlantic Sun," stated Director of Athletics Mike Strickland.
"The route has not been easy for the men's soccer program, but
Earle's enthusiasm and professionalism has been ingrained within the
team. Great things are happening."
Obviously, much of the success from the last
two years can be attributed to the recent recruiting efforts. Castellanos
finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Belmont history
and became the first Belmont player to earn All-Atlantic Sun honors.
Channing Twyner earned a spot on the 2002 A-Sun All-Freshman team. In
2004, two Bruins were named to the All-Freshman team, a first for Belmont
-- Jay Ayres and Robert Fernandez.
During Davidson's tenure, the Bruins have faced
some of the very best teams in the nation, but they had never encountered
the level of competition seen during the 2000 season. Belmont was accepted
as an affiliate member of the Missouri Valley Conference just as the
Valley was hitting its competitive stride. The Bruins faced three top-25
teams that season, and nearly half of the conference's 12 teams were
ranked at some point while a pair of teams reached the NCAA Final Four.
His career at Belmont began in 1995 when he joined
Ronnie Littlejohn's staff. Following the 1996 season, the head coaching
job came open and Davidson became the third head coach in school history.
In his first season as Belmont's head coach, he led the team to a 5-11
record that was highlighted by a 2-1 victory over the Memphis Tigers
who were at the time ranked in the Top-25 in the nation.
Davidson has seen eight former players begin
professional soccer careers, six with the local A-League team, the Nashville
Metros/Tennessee Rhythm while Chris Van Atta played for an indoor soccer
team in Kansas City. Among those players is current assistant coach
Ben Fisher, who also played for the Cincinnati Riverhawks. J.P. Rodrigues
was drafted #1 overall by the USL Miami FC franchise in 2006.
Born in New York City and growing up in New Jersey,
Davidson played his high school soccer at Mendham High School. He graduated
in 1985 and decided to come to Nashville and play collegiately at Vanderbilt
University. His career at Vanderbilt culminated during his senior season
when Davidson received the 1989 McDonald's Award for Outstanding Performance.
Following his collegiate playing days, Coach
Davidson moved west to Salt Lake City, Utah and joined the Salt Lake
Sting of the now defunct American Professional Soccer League (APSL).
After playing one season out there, he returned to Nashville to begin
a five-year career with the Nashville Metros, at the time a member of
the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL).
Following the end of his professional career, Davidson decided to return
his passion for the game by joining the coaching ranks. His first opportunity
at collegiate level coaching came immediately following his playing
days at Vanderbilt when he became the women's team assistant. He served
double-duty during the 1990 season when he also assisted the VU men's
team. Davidson also became the Director of Coaching for the Nashville
Sting Club Teams. In addition to these coaching duties, he has the honor
of assisting with Tennessee's Olympic Development Program Teams.
Davidson married former Belmont women's soccer
assistant coach Alexis Hyrup in May of 2003. The couple resides in Nashville.
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