Former Soccer Coach is in a League of His Own

Most people get a gold watch when they retire. Ralph Lundy got a soccer field.

After coaching for the past 33 seasons, Lundy called it a career at the end of the 2019 soccer season.

To honor the man who led the Cougars to close to 300 career wins and 19 winning seasons, the College renamed the College of Charleston Soccer Field at Patriots Point Athletics Complex in his honor. It will forever be known as Ralph Lundy Field.

It is a fitting tribute to a man who guided the Cougars to six conference championships and five NCAA tournaments, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 1994. He closed out his illustrious career ranked 23rd all-time in NCAA men’s soccer wins. He also produced two All-Americans, 42 first team all-conference selections and 13 NSCAA all-region honorees since the program’s transition to NCAA Division I in 1991.

Since arriving in the Lowcountry in 1987 from a successful career as the coach at Erskine College, Lundy guided the Cougars from the NAIA ranks to an NCAA Division I program. Along with transforming the soccer program, he also had a big impact on the Lowcountry.

That impact includes spearheading a massive construction project to erect the Patriots Point Athletics Complex on the banks of the Cooper River in Mt. Pleasant in 2000. In addition to housing the men’s and women’s soccer programs, the complex is the home to the CofC baseball and softball programs and also benefits the local community by providing several youth soccer fields.

“The years of service Coach Lundy has given not only to the College of Charleston, but the Charleston community and state of South Carolina are truly amazing,” says Director of Athletics Matt Roberts. “He has positively impacted the lives of so many throughout our state by teaching the game of soccer. We will be forever grateful of the lasting legacy he will leave behind.”

The Lundy Legacy

4
Hall of Fames Lundy has
been inducted into

5
NCAA Tournament
appearances (1994, 1995,
1996, 2004 and 2010)

17
College of Charleston’s
highest Top 25 national
ranking under Lundy
(in 1995)

33
Years coached at the
College of Charleston

453
Career wins (from 1976
to 2019)

.535
Career winning
percentage at the
College of Charleston

Featured image of Ralph Lundy by Mike Ledford