Cliff McCrath

Who is Cliff McCrath?

Cliff McCrath is a retired American soccer player and coach. His greatest fame came as coach of Seattle Pacific University where he led the team to five NCAA Division II championships. He was the 1978 NSCAA Coach of the Year and retired ranked second on the all time collegiate coaching wins list with 597 wins.

McCrath grew up in Michigan as an avid hockey fan. He had originally intended to attend Michigan State to play hockey, but attendance at a revival changed his mind and he entered Wheaton College in 1954. That year, he saw soccer played for the first time. Intrigued, he tried out for the team his sophomore year. Despite his late introduction to the game, he quickly rose to the top of the collegiate ranks when he was named an Honorable Mention All American in 1957. He graduated in the spring of 1958 and remained at Wheaton that fall to coach the team. McCrath was inducted into the Wheaton College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979. In 1960, Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts hired McCrath. Over seven seasons, he took the NAIA Fighting Scots to a 52-26-2 record, four post season tournaments and the 1966 NAIA semifinals.