Coaching Staff
John Murphy
Head CoachE-mail: jmurphy@andersonuniversity.edu
Office Phone: (864) 231-2034
John Murphy was named Trojan head men’s soccer coach on July 11, 2012.
“I am extremely pleased that Anderson University has attracted a candidate of John Murphy's caliber.” said Director of Athletics Nancy Simpson. “He brings to us a breadth of experience at a variety of levels and is also a great mission fit for the university. I look forward to the future success of the program under John's leadership and welcome him to Trojan Athletics.”
A native of Quincy, Mass. Murphy has more than 20 years of experience as a player and coach, with nearly a decade of Major League Soccer coaching experience and nine seasons at the collegiate level as well. In 2009, he became the first American citizen to work in British professional soccer as a coach when he was hired by Livingston of the Scottish First Division.
At the collegiate level, Murphy, who spent two seasons on the sidelines (2009 and 2010) with the Clemson Tigers, was recognized twice as the NSCAA New England Coach of the Year (1994 and 1999), served as the head coach at Assumption College (Worcester, Mass.) and Massasoit Community College (Brockton, Mass.), and was an assistant coach at Brown University. He won championships at each institution and was nominated for NSCAA Coach of the Year honors twice (1994 and 2000).
Murphy helped guide his teams to eight conference championships, while leading a pair of players to league Freshman of the Year honors. His Massasoit Community College squad won the 1994 NJCAA National Academic Male Team award for highest team GPA and Assumption College earned the 2000 ECAC Division II Championship.
As an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Clemson, he helped guide the Tigers to an 8-8-2 overall record last season, including a 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference record, before Clemson fell in overtime to Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Murphy played an important role in the success of three MLS franchises and was on the staff of New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol and Columbus Crew coach Greg Andrulis, both of whom earned MLS Coach of the Year Accolades, while Murphy was an assistant.
He served as both an assistant coach and Director of Player Development with the Colorado Rapids over a four-year span, while also coaching the reserve team to back-to-back MLS Reserve League Championships in 2006 and 2007.
During the 2004 season with Columbus, Murphy played an important role in the team's turnaround as an assistant coach and goalkeeper coach. During his time with the Crew, the team set an MLS record with an 18-game unbeaten streak after overcoming a winless streak at the start of the season to finish with its first-ever Eastern Conference regular-season title.
Prior to joining the Crew, Murphy worked four years with the New England Revolution as an assistant coach and goalkeeper coach, helping them to the 2001 US Open Cup Final and the 2002 MLS Cup Final.
Murphy is the author of two books on soccer, published an instructional DVD set through Championship Productions earlier this year, and as a staff member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America is a nationally recognized clinician.
Michael Zion
Assistant CoachE-mail: mzion@andersonuniversity.edu
Office Phone: (864) 231-2034
Michael Zion is set to begin his second season as an assistant coach with the Trojans after joining the staff prior to the 2010 campaign.
Zion, a four-year letterwinner and two-time team captain under coach Rob Miller from 2003-06, scored nearly two dozen goals, recorded 21 assists and notched four game-winning scores during his tenure at AU. The native of Spartanburg, S.C., helped transform a Trojan squad that claimed just three wins in his rookie season into a perennial contender for conference titles. Anderson won a combined 27 matches over his final three campaigns, and battled top-seeded Queens to a draw in the opening round of the 2006 CVAC Tournament Championship.
“We are really excited to have Michael on board,” Miller said. “He’s a former player so he understands the system and he will do an outstanding job.”
Following his collegiate career, Zion played for the Palm Beach Pumas in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), Performance FC in the Premier Arena Soccer League and Performance FC Phoenix in Greenville, S.C., in 2008. He also spent a season with the London, England Kickers in the FA Futsal League.
Zion received his bachelor’ degree in kinesiology from Anderson following his collegiate career.
