John McGrath served as the WVU men’s soccer coach from 1969-95 and is the program’s all-time winningest coach with 202 victories.
In his 27 seasons, McGrath led the Mountaineers to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including three consecutive NCAA appearances from 1971-73.
The Mountaineers returned to the NCAA Tournament in 1981, falling one goal short of reaching the national semifinals. In 1992, after winning the Atlantic 10 Championship, West Virginia earned its fifth NCAA appearance under McGrath.
His final record stood at 202-181-45, making him the only coach in program history with more than 200 wins. McGrath totaled 17 winning seasons and eight 10-win campaigns.
McGrath took over the Mountaineers in their ninth season as a varsity program in 1969. He coached six players who combined for nine career All-America selections (Joe Okhakhu, Dennis Almeida, Manny Matos, Jack Cardosa, Jon Capon and Ashy Mabrouk) and 17 all-region honorees. West Virginia was an independent during his first 18 seasons at the helm, before joining the Atlantic 10 in 1987 and the Big East in 1995.
McGrath also served as a professor in the then-West Virginia School of Physical Education (now College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences). He assisted in establishing WVU’s Athletic Coaching Education (ACE) program, served as an advocate for technology in the curriculum, leader of WVU’s ACE online master’s degree program and organizer of ACE’s internship placement program. McGrath retired in 2004.
Prior to his arrival in Morgantown, McGrath taught physical education classes at Bemidji State College, Keystone Junior College, Springfield College and SUNY Cortland. He served as an assistant freshman basketball coach at Springfield, assistant basketball and track coach at Bemidji State, assistant soccer and baseball coach at SUNY Cortland and head soccer, basketball and baseball coach at Keystone for two years. His soccer record at Keystone was an impressive 17-1-1 with his 1964 squad finishing fourth in the National Junior College Championships.
Originally from Bloomfield, New Jersey, he earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Springfield College in 1964 and a master’s degree in physical education administration from Bemidji State in 1965.
McGrath has earned numerous awards throughout his career: Bloomfield Athletic Hall of Fame, John Lobel Award and was named the WVU School of Physical Education Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1990. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame and Mountaineer Legends Society in 2020.
