Chris Watkins - BYU Men's Soccer Head Coach
Chris Watkins
Chris Watkins - Head Coach
Chris Watkins, who led the Cougars to five national collegiate club championships, returns for his 12th season as head coach of the BYU Men’s Soccer Team. Compiling an overall record of 140-35-13 in ten years, Watkins has gained a great reputation nationally and internationally because of his knowledge of the game, which not only builds great athletes but also quality players on and off the field.
Under Wakins’ tutelage, the men’s soccer team dominated the Collegiate Club Soccer Championships for the past decade, having won National Championships in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001, including an unprecedented run of 30 straight victories at the Club National Championships.
Seeking a more competitive environment, Watkins was the driving force behind BYU’s decision to move from collegiate club to semi-pro status in 2003. BYU purchased a Premier Development League franchise, becoming the first university sponsored soccer program to ever acquire a franchise that competes at a level considered higher than NCAA soccer.
Watkins’ also serves as the assistant coach for the BYU women’s soccer team, helping guide the Cougars to nine NCAA tournaments in the past ten years, including a No. 5 finish in 2003.
When Watkins was hired in 1995, he brought impressive credentials, both professional and collegiate, to the talented Cougar squad. He played four years for the semi-professional Salt Lake City Flamengo team (1992-95). Watkins was also the Gatorade Player of the Year in his home state of Kansas. Most recently, he played for the Utah Blitzz in 2002, scoring the golden goal to win the Western Conference.
During college, he played NCAA Division I soccer at Drake University and held the single-season scoring record there. He later graduated from BYU. Chris and his wife Karen live in Mapleton, Utah with their sons Drake, Ethan and Tanner.
