University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Former Men’s Soccer Coach Steve Adlard Passes Away
09.18.2018 | Men's Soccer
Former UNC Asheville men's soccer coach Steve Adlard passed away last night after a battle with cancer in Milwaukee.
Adlard was the Bulldogs head coach from 1988-91 and led the Asheville program to some of its best moments in the Division I era. Under Adlard's direction, the Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the Big South Tournament each year and just missed playing in the championship game in three of those tourneys.
Adlard produced an overall record of 32-47-3 during his tenure but his clubs produced some memorable wins. In his first year in 1988, the Bulldog program earned their first Division I win over a nationally-ranked opponent when they slipped by Campbell, 1-0. The Camels entered the match unbeaten and had posted wins over Duke and North Carolina. Asheville finished in fourth place in league play and advanced to the semifinals of the BSC Tournament for the first time in program history.
The following year saw the Bulldogs recover from losing their first 11 matches of the year to win six matches and advance to the semifinals of the league tournament. Asheville just missed advancing to the finals with a heart-breaking 2-1 loss to top seed and eventual champion Coastal Carolina.
In 1990, Asheville enjoyed its best season in the Division I era with a 9-9-2 record. The Bulldogs upset Charlotte 1-0 on the road and earned a 2-1 victory over nationally-ranked Radford at Greenwood Field. Asheville earned its highest ever finish in league play at the time with a third-place finish and 4-2-0 BSC record. The Dogs fell to Coastal Carolina in the semifinals of the league for the second straight year, 2-1. This match would go to overtime where the Bulldogs would score in the first overtime period (no golden goal rule that year) before the eventual champion Chanticleers would rally with two goals to win.
In his final year at Asheville, the Bulldogs would once again rally from a slow start to the year. The Dogs would lose their first five matches of the season and go just 1-5-0 in league play. However, Asheville's one BSC win was a special one as the Bulldogs downed Campbell on the road 2-1. Adlard's club would also knock off Georgia State and Western Kentucky.
Adlard's final victory as Bulldog coach was a special one. The Bulldogs were the seventh seed in the 1991 Big South Conference Tournament and play at second-seeded Davidson. Asheville stunned the Wildcats, 1-0 on a late goal from Dano Holcomb and then goalkeeper Steve McCullough would stop on Davidson penalty kick with one-minute remaining. That same Davidson team would advance to the College Cup Final Four the following season. The Bulldogs would once again just miss getting to the championship game when they fell to Winthrop in penalty kicks.
Adlard would leave Asheville a few months later to take the head coaching job at Marquette where he would serve as head coach for 14 seasons.
Current UNC Asheville men's soccer head coach Mathes Mennell is extremely thankful for what Adlard meant to the Bulldogs.
"Steve is a huge piece of the success you see here at UNC Asheville not only with the men's soccer program, but with the athletics program," Mennell said. "He is a true pioneer and a lot of the foundation for our program was built through his efforts. I had the good fortune to get to know him and work with him out west in the Olympic Development Program. He was very giving of his time and a true believer in the overall development of a player. He was a great man and he will be sorely missed."
Former Sports Information Director Mike Gore also remembers Adlard's tenure fondly.
"Steve Adlard made a big impact on our soccer program during his time at UNC Asheville," Gore said. "His squads produced many memorable wins and he recruited some great players. But he did a lot of things behind the scenes, as well. We moved to Greenwood Field in the middle of the 1989 season, and he was a driving force to help bring the women's soccer program back.
"We came so close to playing in three consecutive Big South championship games against programs that had a lot more resources than Asheville did. He was a great person to work with and a first-class individual."
**UNC Asheville and Big South Hall of Famer Mike Gore contributed to this report**
Adlard was the Bulldogs head coach from 1988-91 and led the Asheville program to some of its best moments in the Division I era. Under Adlard's direction, the Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the Big South Tournament each year and just missed playing in the championship game in three of those tourneys.
Adlard produced an overall record of 32-47-3 during his tenure but his clubs produced some memorable wins. In his first year in 1988, the Bulldog program earned their first Division I win over a nationally-ranked opponent when they slipped by Campbell, 1-0. The Camels entered the match unbeaten and had posted wins over Duke and North Carolina. Asheville finished in fourth place in league play and advanced to the semifinals of the BSC Tournament for the first time in program history.
The following year saw the Bulldogs recover from losing their first 11 matches of the year to win six matches and advance to the semifinals of the league tournament. Asheville just missed advancing to the finals with a heart-breaking 2-1 loss to top seed and eventual champion Coastal Carolina.
In 1990, Asheville enjoyed its best season in the Division I era with a 9-9-2 record. The Bulldogs upset Charlotte 1-0 on the road and earned a 2-1 victory over nationally-ranked Radford at Greenwood Field. Asheville earned its highest ever finish in league play at the time with a third-place finish and 4-2-0 BSC record. The Dogs fell to Coastal Carolina in the semifinals of the league for the second straight year, 2-1. This match would go to overtime where the Bulldogs would score in the first overtime period (no golden goal rule that year) before the eventual champion Chanticleers would rally with two goals to win.
In his final year at Asheville, the Bulldogs would once again rally from a slow start to the year. The Dogs would lose their first five matches of the season and go just 1-5-0 in league play. However, Asheville's one BSC win was a special one as the Bulldogs downed Campbell on the road 2-1. Adlard's club would also knock off Georgia State and Western Kentucky.
Adlard's final victory as Bulldog coach was a special one. The Bulldogs were the seventh seed in the 1991 Big South Conference Tournament and play at second-seeded Davidson. Asheville stunned the Wildcats, 1-0 on a late goal from Dano Holcomb and then goalkeeper Steve McCullough would stop on Davidson penalty kick with one-minute remaining. That same Davidson team would advance to the College Cup Final Four the following season. The Bulldogs would once again just miss getting to the championship game when they fell to Winthrop in penalty kicks.
Adlard would leave Asheville a few months later to take the head coaching job at Marquette where he would serve as head coach for 14 seasons.
Current UNC Asheville men's soccer head coach Mathes Mennell is extremely thankful for what Adlard meant to the Bulldogs.
"Steve is a huge piece of the success you see here at UNC Asheville not only with the men's soccer program, but with the athletics program," Mennell said. "He is a true pioneer and a lot of the foundation for our program was built through his efforts. I had the good fortune to get to know him and work with him out west in the Olympic Development Program. He was very giving of his time and a true believer in the overall development of a player. He was a great man and he will be sorely missed."
Former Sports Information Director Mike Gore also remembers Adlard's tenure fondly.
"Steve Adlard made a big impact on our soccer program during his time at UNC Asheville," Gore said. "His squads produced many memorable wins and he recruited some great players. But he did a lot of things behind the scenes, as well. We moved to Greenwood Field in the middle of the 1989 season, and he was a driving force to help bring the women's soccer program back.
"We came so close to playing in three consecutive Big South championship games against programs that had a lot more resources than Asheville did. He was a great person to work with and a first-class individual."
**UNC Asheville and Big South Hall of Famer Mike Gore contributed to this report**
Monday, November 13
Monday, November 06
Monday, November 06
Monday, October 30