Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Former Men’s Soccer Coach John McGrath Passes Away
November 15, 2024 05:26 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – John C. McGrath, West Virginia University's men's soccer coach for 27 seasons from 1969-95, died Thursday evening, his family confirmed this morning.
"What a terrific human being and coach he was," Binghamton coach Paul Marco said earlier today. Marco played for McGrath, was his No. 1 assistant for three years and coached the Mountaineers from 1996-2001. "He is probably the best player-coach I've ever known, and I've known a lot of coaches in my day. The guys loved him, and we loved playing for him."
McGrath, a Bloomfield, New Jersey, native, came to WVU after two seasons coaching the Keystone Junior College men's basketball and men's soccer teams, his best soccer squad posting a 17-1-1 record and finishing fourth at the National Junior College Championships.
McGrath's Mountaineer teams enjoyed success in the early 1970s when they were transitioning from the Southern Conference to Eastern independence.
With star players such as Joe Okhakhu, Manny Matos, Dennis Almeida and Jack Cardoso, McGrath's Mountaineers appeared in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 1971-73 while compiling a 29-8-3 record.
But his program soon fell victim to budgetary constraints in the late 1970s and his teams never had a true soccer facility to call home. They frequently played their home matches in the old stadium at 10 a.m. before football games on its old, Astroturf surface.
"I just remember every year (McGrath) had a great season, they took resources from him the next year," Marco recalled. "It was like, 'You did it well with a little bit, now let's see what you can do with a little bit less.'"
His Mountaineer teams continued to play their matches in the new football stadium for the remainder of his tenure before WVU finally constructed a soccer field near the outdoor track that eventually became known as Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in 2004.
McGrath's 1981 squad, led by All-America goalkeeper Jon Capon, upset Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling in the national quarterfinals 2-1 in overtime at Alabama A&M.
The Bulldogs lost 2-1 to Connecticut in the national championship game that year.
McGrath's other NCAA Tournament team in 1992 came three years before his retirement following the 1995 season. That year, the Mountaineers began 1-4-1 before rallying to win eight of their next nine matches, which included a tie at Navy.
It was one of eight 10-win seasons McGrath had at WVU. His 202-181-45 record includes 17 winning seasons, and his 202 victories are the most in program history. He coached six All-Americans at WVU.
Later in his career, McGrath became more of a CEO-type-coach, giving his assistants a lot more responsibility and leeway.
"He was a basketball guy," Marco recalled. "I remember individual guys, him teaching them to always have their head on a swivel and things like that, but he left a lot of that up to his assistants, and he was always up for new ideas. He was into education. He got me involved with the NSCAA, which is now the United Soccer Coaches Association, and I've done a lot of work for them."
"I got to do everything, and he was a fantastic guy to work for; a great mentor," recalled former assistant coach Rocky Harmon, now executive director of the Vestavia Hills Soccer Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
Harmon came to WVU from Ohio State upon the recommendation of former Buckeye assistant coach John Gibson.
"I called (McGrath) up, sent in my resume, and got my master's degree in sports administration," Harmon said. "The idea was to stay for 18 months, and I ended up staying there for 3½ years. I loved Morgantown.
"He was a real steady Eddie, and you could always count on him," Harmon explained. "He was just a good guy, and he was really good to me."
McGrath's office was on the second floor of the WVU Coliseum next to baseball coach Dale Ramsburg and two offices down from men's track and field coach Marty Pushkin. Those three offices often served as the nerve center of activity in the building, particularly in the summertime. McGrath was affectionally nicknamed "Tug" by Ramsburg because of his last name's similarity to Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw.
The nickname stuck.
"I remember a trip we had during the '92 season, my first year moving from playing to coaching, and we started off the season poorly, and we had just dropped a game at William & Mary," Marco recalled. "The guys weren't listening to our center back, and I remember clear as day, Tugger went to the back of the bus, and he let them have it."
Once McGrath was finished, the usually mild-mannered coach walked back up to the front of the bus, sat down, looked at Marco with a wry smile and said, "Was that good enough?"
"He did not suffer fools lightly," Harmon recalled.
McGrath 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.
His numerous awards include induction into the Bloomfield Athletic Hall of Fame and the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
In addition to coaching, he was a longtime instructor in the WVU School of Physical Education, where he was recognized as its Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1990.
"Talk about commitment, he would drive in from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, where he lived, to teach class at 8 in the morning, and we didn't do our training until 6 at night after football was finished," Marco recalled. "He was working a minimum of a 12-hour day, not to mention the ride to and from work. It was tough."
McGrath is survived by his wife, Carolyn, a member of West Virginia University's first women's basketball team in 1974, two children, Cherylen Joan St. John and John Ryan McGrath, and three grandchildren.
"I have to thank him for my life, and I did the last time I saw him," Marco said. "I wouldn't have the life that I have without him. I had spoken to him a couple of times on the phone, and I had kept in touch with Carolyn through texts.
"What a fierce competitor he was. He just had a way with his players that made them feel loved and made them feel like you had to do it," Marco concluded.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
"What a terrific human being and coach he was," Binghamton coach Paul Marco said earlier today. Marco played for McGrath, was his No. 1 assistant for three years and coached the Mountaineers from 1996-2001. "He is probably the best player-coach I've ever known, and I've known a lot of coaches in my day. The guys loved him, and we loved playing for him."
McGrath, a Bloomfield, New Jersey, native, came to WVU after two seasons coaching the Keystone Junior College men's basketball and men's soccer teams, his best soccer squad posting a 17-1-1 record and finishing fourth at the National Junior College Championships.
McGrath's Mountaineer teams enjoyed success in the early 1970s when they were transitioning from the Southern Conference to Eastern independence.With star players such as Joe Okhakhu, Manny Matos, Dennis Almeida and Jack Cardoso, McGrath's Mountaineers appeared in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 1971-73 while compiling a 29-8-3 record.
But his program soon fell victim to budgetary constraints in the late 1970s and his teams never had a true soccer facility to call home. They frequently played their home matches in the old stadium at 10 a.m. before football games on its old, Astroturf surface.
"I just remember every year (McGrath) had a great season, they took resources from him the next year," Marco recalled. "It was like, 'You did it well with a little bit, now let's see what you can do with a little bit less.'"
His Mountaineer teams continued to play their matches in the new football stadium for the remainder of his tenure before WVU finally constructed a soccer field near the outdoor track that eventually became known as Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in 2004.
McGrath's 1981 squad, led by All-America goalkeeper Jon Capon, upset Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling in the national quarterfinals 2-1 in overtime at Alabama A&M.
The Bulldogs lost 2-1 to Connecticut in the national championship game that year.
McGrath's other NCAA Tournament team in 1992 came three years before his retirement following the 1995 season. That year, the Mountaineers began 1-4-1 before rallying to win eight of their next nine matches, which included a tie at Navy.
It was one of eight 10-win seasons McGrath had at WVU. His 202-181-45 record includes 17 winning seasons, and his 202 victories are the most in program history. He coached six All-Americans at WVU.
Later in his career, McGrath became more of a CEO-type-coach, giving his assistants a lot more responsibility and leeway.
"He was a basketball guy," Marco recalled. "I remember individual guys, him teaching them to always have their head on a swivel and things like that, but he left a lot of that up to his assistants, and he was always up for new ideas. He was into education. He got me involved with the NSCAA, which is now the United Soccer Coaches Association, and I've done a lot of work for them."
"I got to do everything, and he was a fantastic guy to work for; a great mentor," recalled former assistant coach Rocky Harmon, now executive director of the Vestavia Hills Soccer Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
Harmon came to WVU from Ohio State upon the recommendation of former Buckeye assistant coach John Gibson.
"I called (McGrath) up, sent in my resume, and got my master's degree in sports administration," Harmon said. "The idea was to stay for 18 months, and I ended up staying there for 3½ years. I loved Morgantown.
"He was a real steady Eddie, and you could always count on him," Harmon explained. "He was just a good guy, and he was really good to me."
McGrath's office was on the second floor of the WVU Coliseum next to baseball coach Dale Ramsburg and two offices down from men's track and field coach Marty Pushkin. Those three offices often served as the nerve center of activity in the building, particularly in the summertime. McGrath was affectionally nicknamed "Tug" by Ramsburg because of his last name's similarity to Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw.
The nickname stuck.
"I remember a trip we had during the '92 season, my first year moving from playing to coaching, and we started off the season poorly, and we had just dropped a game at William & Mary," Marco recalled. "The guys weren't listening to our center back, and I remember clear as day, Tugger went to the back of the bus, and he let them have it."
Once McGrath was finished, the usually mild-mannered coach walked back up to the front of the bus, sat down, looked at Marco with a wry smile and said, "Was that good enough?"
"He did not suffer fools lightly," Harmon recalled.
McGrath 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.
His numerous awards include induction into the Bloomfield Athletic Hall of Fame and the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
In addition to coaching, he was a longtime instructor in the WVU School of Physical Education, where he was recognized as its Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1990.
"Talk about commitment, he would drive in from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, where he lived, to teach class at 8 in the morning, and we didn't do our training until 6 at night after football was finished," Marco recalled. "He was working a minimum of a 12-hour day, not to mention the ride to and from work. It was tough."
McGrath is survived by his wife, Carolyn, a member of West Virginia University's first women's basketball team in 1974, two children, Cherylen Joan St. John and John Ryan McGrath, and three grandchildren.
"I have to thank him for my life, and I did the last time I saw him," Marco said. "I wouldn't have the life that I have without him. I had spoken to him a couple of times on the phone, and I had kept in touch with Carolyn through texts.
"What a fierce competitor he was. He just had a way with his players that made them feel loved and made them feel like you had to do it," Marco concluded.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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