Meet Coach McGinlay who built a Powerhouse Soccer Program in Texas
The Texas Story Project.
Seconds away from going to the 2003 D3 National Championship final, Coach Paul McGinlay’s world was rattled.
With 43 seconds left on the clock, the opposing team scored tying the game sending it into overtime. Going 22-0 up until this point, their undefeated season was on the line along with the chance to play in the National Final. Dazed and stunned with all odds against him, Coach McGinlay pulled his team together and became victorious. This was the first time all season that Coach McGinlay and the Trinity Tigers had really faced adversity. Coach McGinlay stated in our interview that, “conceding this goal with the clock running down showed that you never know what can happen, whether that be in soccer or in life. We will constantly face adversity throughout our lifetime and what defines us is how we overcome it.”
Coach McGinlay came to Texas from Ohio in 1991 at the age of 27 years old. He originally was the assistant coach for four years at a university in Ohio when the head coaching job at Trinity University opened. It was the first time a full-time coaching position had been available at Trinity. Without hesitation McGinlay packed his bags and flew down to Texas. “Coming to Texas was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Despite the lack of soccer structure, I knew that with hard work and dedication we could build something very special.” Since his time in San Antonio, Coach McGinlay has not only impacted the soccer community, but also the surrounding community of San Antonio. By building a powerhouse soccer program, McGinlay has given San Antonio soccer fans a place to enjoy the beautiful game.
Throughout Coach McGinlay’s lifetime he has experienced many highs and lows, both on and off the field. This past fall McGinlay suffered a life-threatening heart attack, but with God’s good grace he has recovered back to full health and is doing better than ever. “The heart attack made me realize that you never know what can happen and that the little things in life are what really matters.” Despite going through such a tragic experience, Coach McGinlay said that “one of the hardest things, if not the hardest thing, I have faced in my life was having a losing record my first years of coaching. I questioned if this path was really meant for me.” With the help of his mentor Wolfgang Sunholdz, a former professional soccer player who now finds himself in a coaching position, Coach McGinlay was able to gain more knowledge and get through this rough patch of his career. Since then Coach McGinlay has had 23 consecutive winning seasons and has won one National Championship.
Nevertheless, life does not always unfold as planned. In 2007, Coach McGinlay found himself in yet another situation where all odds were against him. “This was a huge defining moment in my career. We had just beat a top-ranked Messiah University team out of Chicago and we found ourselves in the National Final game against a very good Middlebury College team. We had worked so hard to get here, then two simple mistakes sent us to a penalty shootout where we lost 4-3 and our dreams were crushed. This experience taught me that you can’t expect to win every championship. At the end of the day, penalties are the greatest enemy of the soccer player.”
Coach Paul McGinlay’s legacy will live on for decades not just in Texas, but nationwide. Having the second-highest active winning percentage (.841) in the NCAA amongst all divisions has solidified his greatness as a coach of the game. Coach McGinlay’s guidance and mentorship has led eight Trinity Soccer players to become All-American student athletes. These eight athletes have gone on to continue their career at the professional level. Despite being from England, Coach McGinlay’s Texas story is seen as one of the greatest and most impactful inside and outside the soccer community. He has built one of the biggest powerhouse programs in the nation and continues to set the bar very high. He has built an empire and legacy that all coaches strive to achieve.
Marlon Flores is a Sophomore International Business major at St Mary’s University. He was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and later moved to San Antonio, Texas. He is a part of the men’s soccer team and is also planning to study abroad in Salvador, Brazil. His passions involve playing soccer for the university as well as competitive videogames.
Posted September 17, 2019
Join 3 others and favorite this
TAGGED WITH: St. Mary's University, stmarytx.edu
