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 Rob Donnenwirth
Rob Donnenwirth

Position:
Head Coach

Alma Mater:
West Virginia Wesleyan, '88


02/10/2012

ECU Soccer Releases Summer Camp Dates

02/07/2012

Soccer Adds Four For 2012 Season

Head Coach Rob Donnenwirth Adds Three North Carolina High School Standouts

01/11/2012

ECU Soccer To Hold Walk-On Tryouts

Tryouts Will Be Held On Jan. 20 At The ECU Soccer Stadium

12/13/2011

Cummings Named NSCAA First-Team All-Central

Senior Becomes First Pirate To Garner First-Team NSCAA Accolades

12/02/2011

Jessica Abshire Named Capital One Academic All-America

Senior Is Third Academic All-America Selection In Program History

Rob Donnenwirth enters his 13th season at the helm of the women's soccer program at East Carolina University. He has guided the Pirates to six 10-plus win seasons in 12 years, mentored 69 all-conference performers and his 116 victories make him the winningest coach in school history.

The 2008 season was Donnenwirth's most successful as he led ECU to the best overall record in program history at 14-4-4 and a share of the Conference USA Regular Season Championship. That year the Pirates finished the C-USA season with a 7-0-4 mark, good for the first unbeaten run through league play since Charlotte went 8-0-2 in 2002.

East Carolina played in its first C-USA Tournament Championship game in 2008, but fell to Memphis, 4-1, and narrowly missed out on making the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. For his efforts, Donnenwirth received his first C-USA Coach-of-the-Year award and was the Soccer Buzz Southeast Region Coach-of-the-Year runner-up.

The conclusion of the 2008 campaign also saw a Pirate agree to the first United States professional contract in program history as Madison Keller signed with the Washington Freedom of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league. The only other Pirate to sign professionally was Amanda Duffy, who played in Sweden. Keller earned First-Team All-C-USA, National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second-Team All-South Region, Soccer Buzz Third-Team All-Southeast Region and NSCAA Second-Team Academic All-America accolades in her final campaign under Donnenwirth.

Prior to arriving at ECU, Donnenwirth spent five years as the head coach at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, N.C. Under his guidance, the Battling Bishops enjoyed tremendous success, going 62-27-9, winning four Dixie Conference titles and making three trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

In Donnenwirth's first year as the Bishops as head coach, the team advanced to the NCAA Final Four and finished with a 15-3-3 record. Chris Webb and Trish Parker, former ECU assistant coaches, were a part of that squad and Parker was named the Division III National Player-of-the-Year.

In his tenure at N.C. Wesleyan, three Bishop players were named All-Americans, two were chosen Dixie Conference Players-of-the-Year and three were picked as the conference's Rookie-of-the-Year. Donnenwirth was also recognized several times while at N.C. Wesleyan, earning NCAA South Regional Coach-of-the-Year twice and the Dixie Conference Coach-of-the-Year three times.

Before heading to N.C. Wesleyan, Donnenwirth served as an assistant with the James Madison men's and women's teams and the University of Massachusetts men's squad.

Outside the college ranks, Donnenwirth has a wealth of experience in Olympic Development Programs (ODP). He has been part of the United States Region III ODP coaching staff and has served eight years as a North Carolina ODP coach with the under-13 and under-15 girls' teams.

He was formerly the director of the Pitt Greenville Soccer Association's traveling and recreational programs and is currently president of Soccer Express, a community soccer camp business that has attracted over 3,000 youth and adult campers in the U.S. and Canada.

ROB DONNENWIRTH
Born Dec. 20, 1965
High School John P. Stevens (N.J.) HS
College West Virginia Wesleyan College, 1988 (B.S.)
James Madison University, 1990 (M.B.A)
Family wife: Rosy
children: Allison, Madison and Carly
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Level School, Position
High School John P. Stevens (N.J.) HS (1980-83)
College West Virginia Wesleyan College (1984-87)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Year School, Position
1988-90 James Madison University, assistant men's coach
1990 James Madison University, assistant women's coach
1992-93 University of Massachusetts at Amherst, assistant men's coach
1994-98 North Carolina Wesleyan College, head women's coach
1999-present East Carolina University, head women's coach
CHAMPIONSHIPS WON
Year Championship
1994 Dixie Conference
1996-98 Dixie Conference
2008 Conference USA Co-Regular Season
HONORS/AWARDS
Year Award
1994 Dixie Conference Coach-of-the-Year
NCAA South Region Coach-of-the-Year
1996 Dixie Conference Coach-of-the-Year
NCAA South Region Coach-of-the-Year
1998 Dixie Conference Coach-of-the-Year
2007 N.C. Wesleyan Hall Of Fame
2008 Conference USA Coach-of-the-Year
HEAD COACHING RECORD
Year School Record Conf. Record
1994 N.C. Wesleyan 15-3-3
1995 N.C. Wesleyan 6-11
1996 N.C. Wesleyan 15-3-2
1997 N.C. Wesleyan 15-4-2
1998 N.C. Wesleyan 11-5-2
1999 East Carolina 11-5-1 5-2-1
2000 East Carolina 10-7-2 3-5
2001 East Carolina 10-8-1 6-4-1
2002 East Carolina 11-6-4 5-2-3
2003 East Carolina 7-7-5 3-4-3
2004 East Carolina 8-9-2 6-3-1
2005 East Carolina 8-12-1 4-5
2006 East Carolina 10-8-2 6-3
2007 East Carolina 9-5-5 3-3-3
2008 East Carolina 14-4-4 7-0-4
2009 East Carolina 9-7-3 4-6-1
2010 East Carolina 9-9-1 4-6-1
Career 17 Seasons 178-113-40 (.598) 56-43-20 (.555)

As a player, Donnenwirth guided West Virginia Wesleyan College to back-to-back NAIA National Championships in 1984 and 1985 and was named a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American in 1987 as a goalkeeper. He earned a B.S. in marketing from West Virginia Wesleyan in 1988 and his M.B.A. from James Madison in 1990.

Donnenwirth and his wife, Rosy, have three daughters: Allison (17), Madison (13) and Carly (11).