NORFOLK, Va. — Old Dominion University Director of Athletics Dr. Wood Selig announced on Tuesday that Alan Dawson has decided the 2023 men's soccer season will be his 27th and last as head coach of the Monarchs as he will retire at the end of the season.
Current Associate Head Coach Tennant McVea will take over as the next head coach at the conclusion of the fall 2023 season.
"First, I would like to thank Alan Dawson and the entire Dawson family for their unwavering sacrifice and commitment to the ODU men's soccer program that now spans four decades since Coach Dawson's arrival," said Dr. Selig. "Coach Dawson's Monarch teams have been among the nation's elite men's programs and a fixture in the NCAA tournament throughout his career at ODU. His tenure will rank among the best of any ODU head coach who has ever led a Monarch program and there have been many great ones. He leaves behind a rich legacy of academic and athletic success from which we will continue to build and grow. We both congratulate and thank Coach Dawson for pouring the heart of his professional career into ODU men's soccer."
In 26 years with the Monarchs, Dawson's teams have gone 257-168-52 with three conference championships, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and nine times being ranked in the final poll of the season. His Monarchs advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2007.
"As I enter my 27th season as the Old Dominion Head Soccer Coach, I have come to a decision that it will be my last," said Dawson. "It has been an honor to lead the program and I would like to thank everyone who has helped shape it over the years. I have had the pleasure to work with many impactful administrators and staff members that have been invaluably resourceful. Also, the program has seen many assistant coaches who have worked tirelessly to improve our overall culture," he added.
A four-time conference coach of the year, Dawson has pioneered the Monarchs to three conference tournament titles and three conference regular season titles. Most recently, ODU won the 2014 and 2017 Conference USA Championship on its home field.
Over his 26 years at Old Dominion, Dawson has produced nine NSCAA All-Americans, five conference players of the years, five NSCAA Academic All-Americans and 11 MLS Super Draft selections. In 2018, Dawson picked up his first Academic All-American since 2002 in Niko Klosterhalfen who was named Google Cloud Academic All-American.
"We are also indebted to our generous alumni and donors. Finally, thank you to all the student-athletes over the years who have helped make it a truly memorable and remarkable journey," Dawson said. "Coaching the game that I love has been a dream come true for a Belfast Boy and I am forever grateful. As a family, we would like to extend our gratitude to our wonderful community who have welcomed and supported us over the years."
ODU has recorded several wins over nationally-ranked opponents including second-ranked Creighton in 2012 and fourth-ranked Marshall last season, both on the road.
From 2002-2007 Dawson took the Monarchs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of those seasons. In that stretch they averaged nearly 14 wins per season and recorded NCAA tournament wins over North Carolina, N.C. State and Providence.
Dawson enters this season ranked fifth among active NCAA Division I coaches in career wins with a 386-198-62 mark. In all levels, he has the 20th most active wins and is the all-time winningest coach in ODU history.
Prior to coming to ODU, Dawson served as an assistant coach at North Carolina in 1996 after a nine-year stint at Division III Methodist College. In 1995, he led Methodist to the NCAA Division III Championship game. While at Methodist, he guided the school to seven consecutive conference championships and six straight NCAA tournament appearances in only nine seasons.
He was inducted into the Methodist College Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. His combined career record at Methodist was 129-30-1 and his squads finished in the top 10 of the ISAA national polls for seven consecutive seasons.
Dawson garnered Dixie Conference Coach of the Year honors five times and South Region Coach of the Year honors in 1990 and 1995. He produced 32 All-South selections, seven All-Americans, and two Academic All-Americans during his tenure at the school. Dawson also coached three teams to undefeated seasons: in 1991 (15-0-3), 1992 (14-0-2) and 1993 (17-0-0).
Before coaching at Methodist, he served as a graduate assistant coach at UNC-Greensboro from 1984-86. UNCG reached the NCAA Division III quarterfinals in 1984 and won the championship in 1985. That team was inducted into the UNCG Hall of Fame in 2014.
Dawson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Lock Haven University in 1984, and a Master of Science degree in physical education from the UNC Greensboro in 1986. He and his wife Mari have three children: Alec, Garrick, and Ellesse. Alan is the son of Isabel and the late Stanley Dawson of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Dawson was inducted into the Lock Haven Hall of Fame as part of the 1980 NCAA Division II National Championship team in 2015.
"Coach McVea has the drive, intellect, and teaching skills necessary to be an extremely successful head coach in one of the nation's elite men's soccer conferences, the Sun Belt Conference," Selig said. "He was impressive in articulating his vision and strategies for academic and athletic success for ODU men's soccer to both President Hemphill and me. Coach McVea has had other head coaching opportunities, but fortunately for ODU he elected to remain a valuable member of our staff for the last seven seasons. I anticipate a seamless and smooth transition at the conclusion of the 2023 season without the disruption that many coaching changes typically create within a program. I am looking forward to working with Coach McVea for many years to come and I am excited about the prospects for our men's soccer future under Coach McVea's leadership."
"The future of Monarch Soccer is in good hands as we turn the reigns over to longtime Associate Head Coach Tennant McVea who is ready to lead this program for years to come," Dawson added.
McVea was a part of the coaching staff from 2013-2015 as the Monarchs made two NCAA trips and won the 2014 C-USA title in his first stint. After a year at Elon, he returned in 2017 as the Monarchs again won the C-USA crown. In his second stint, the Monarchs have had 19 All-Conference players, 74 players named to C-USA Academic Honor Roll for a higher than 3.0 GPA and 23 named C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal for a higher than 3.75 GPA.
"I am extremely honored to be named the next Head Coach of the Old Dominion Men's Soccer program," McVea said. "Old Dominion University has become such an enormous part of my life over the past decade and to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading these young men moving forward is a role that I take on with immense gratitude."
"I'd like to thank Coach Dawson for his support, mentorship, guidance, and friendship since I arrived here in 2013," said McVea. "He has been instrumental in my development, not only as a coach, but as a friend, husband, and father. He has had an incredible career that has had an indelible effect on this program. His success has laid an incredible foundation that we can continue to build on and uphold the tradition of excellence that this program represents."
As well as his work at Old Dominion, McVea has become an integral part of the soccer community in Hampton Roads. He has been involved in coaching and mentorship of players at local ECNL club Beach FC since 2013 and has been on staff at Newport News based Lionsbridge FC (USL 2) since their formation in 2017. McVea has mentored and developed multiple players who have played professionally in the United States in the MLS, USL Championship and USL League one as well as Europe and beyond. He currently holds a B license with United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and is part of the current cohort for the prestigious USSF A Senior License with some of the top head and assistant coaches in the MLS, NWSL and USL Championship.
After a stellar collegiate career, McVea signed his first professional contract with Finnish Premier League club FC Lahti in 2010. McVea played for several clubs in the United States and Europe before retiring from playing. He was capped for his country, Northern Ireland, from the U16-U19 level and captained the team at the U17 European Championships in 2004.
McVea played collegiately at Loyola University of Maryland where he was a First Team All-American in 2008 as well as a three-time All-Region selection. He graduated from Loyola with a degree in advertising and public relations and a minor in general business in 2009.
"I am extremely excited for the opportunity ahead, but our focus moving forward will be the challenge of this college soccer season with the group of young men we have assembled," McVea said. "We will be striving to give Coach Dawson the sendoff that he deserves for his dedication to this program and the sport of soccer."
