Winning seasons, conference and national championships and a soccer team that is as close as family are all things that characterize Head Coach Ray Reid and the team that he has transformed into a BIG EAST and national powerhouse over the last 10 years at UConn. Since his arrival in Storrs in 1997, Reid has led the Huskies to the 2000 National Championship and the NCAA Tournament each of the last nine years, while also producing five BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles and three tournament championships.

This resurgence by the Huskies into the national spotlight should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed Reid’s career. In 18 years as a collegiate head coach, he has amassed a record of 291-73-32 (.775), making him Division I’s winningest active coach based on percentage. Reid spent his first eight seasons of his career at his alma mater, Division II Southern Connecticut State University, where he compiled a 146-17-15 (.862) record before moving to UConn in 1997, where he presently holds a 145-56-17 (.704) mark.

In addition to holding the top spot among active NCAA coaches, with the team’s success during the 2005 campaign, Reid moved up into 13^th place among All-Time Winningest Coaches (Percentage) and 16th among Division I Winningest Active Coaches by Wins (all three categories are based upon five or more years at a NCAA institution).

For his efforts at UConn, Reid was named the National Coach of the Year in 2000, the Northeast Division Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000 and was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year in 1998. Additionally, he has been selected as the National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America (NSCAA) National Coach of the Year four times (1990, 1992, 1994 and 2000), and was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year in 1998, just his second season in the league.

Ray Reid in the 21st Century

2006: The Huskies wrapped up Reid’s 10th season at UConn with a 10-7-2 record and their ninth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. They also made their 12th consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Tournament after completing the regular season in second place in the Blue Division with an 8-2-1 conference record, including an undefeated 5-0-1 mark away from Morrone Stadium. The BIG EAST coaches recognized the Huskies’ stellar in-conference play by voting Julius James the 2006 Defender of the Year and Toni Stahl this season’s Rookie of the Year, in addition to placing four others on All-BIG EAST Teams.

2005: Reid guided the Huskies to their second consecutive and sixth all-time BIG EAST Tournament Championship as well as the BIG EAST regular season championship in the Blue Division. This was just the second time that UConn has won both the BIG EAST regular season and the conference championships. The 1-0 victory over conference newcomer South Florida in the championship game earned UConn the conference bid into the NCAA tournament for the team’s eighth consecutive appearance. The Huskies earned a bye in the first round of play and defeated Stony Brook in the second round to advance to the third round. The team played Akron to a 3-3 tie in the game before falling in penalty kicks after two overtimes. UConn finished the season with a 15-3-2 overall record.

Following the 2005 run, Mpho Moloi and Willis Forko were taken in the MLS draft, raising Reid’s total draft selections to 15 in eight years and the sixth consecutive year that the head coach has sent players to the United States’ premier soccer league.

2004: Reid led the Huskies to their fifth BIG EAST Tournament Championship with a stunning 5-3 penalty kick decision over Seton Hall after playing to a 0-0 tie through double overtime. Additionally, the team made its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, where UConn posted a 2-1 overtime victory over Marist in NCAA first round action before coming up just short against Boston College in the second round, falling 1-0. After beginning the season 1-3-0, the team posted a strong run to end with a 12-8-3 record and a 5-4-1 ledger against conference foes.

Reid’s exemplary coaching continued to succeed in the off-season as Easton Wilson and Esteban Arias were both taken in the MLS draft, bringing the number of Reid’s total draft selections to 12.

2003: The season raised several challenges for Reid and the youthful Huskies with a hefty strength of schedule, UConn excelled earning their sixth consecutive and 24th overall NCAA Tournament berth in the 2003 College Cup. Led by only two seniors and a sea of underclassmen, the Huskies took wins over several ranked teams including No. 5 Indiana, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 23 Virginia Tech and No. 25 Boston College through the season. In the quarterfinals of the 2003 BIG EAST Tournament, Notre Dame knocked the Huskies out of contention, but a bid to the NCAA Tournament kept the Huskies chances alive. After a convincing 3-0 shutout over Rhode Island, UConn battled No. 6 St. John’s to a 0-0 tie sending the game in penalty kicks. St. John’s won 4-2 on penalty kicks in the shootout, ending the Huskies season with an even 8-8-3 overall record.

Reid also captured his 250th win as a head coach in 2003 and 100th victory at Connecticut. The Huskies shutout Virginia Tech, 2-0, on Oct. 8 allowing Reid to hit the 250-game milestone in only his 14th year as a head coach. On Sept. 5 in UConn’s first home game of the season, Connecticut defeated Boston University 1-0, giving Reid the century mark in wins at UConn.

2002: The Huskies earned their 18th appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament after posting a 7-3 league record. Ranked in the top 10 for most of the season, the Huskies fell to Boston College (3-2) in the finals of the BIG EAST Championship, after defeating St. John’s on penalty kicks in the semifinals. UConn notched its sixth-straight and 23rd overall bid into the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight before being knocked off by Maryland, 3-0. UConn completed the season with a 17-6 overall record.

2001: Reid and the Huskies captured their fourth-consecutive BIG EAST regular season title, advanced to the NCAA Tournament and ended the season with an overall 15-5-2 record and 9-1 in the BIG EAST. The Huskies advanced to the BIG EAST Championship game falling to St. John’s (1-0) and then dropped a three-overtime 2-1 decision to Rutgers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

2000: Reid and the Huskies brought home the 2000 NCAA Men’s College Cup Championship and posted 20 wins, the most since 1981 when the Huskies went en route to a national championship with a 20-3-2 record. UConn finished the season atop the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Soccer America Magazine polls. For his achievements, Reid was tabbed with NSCAA Division I National Coach of the Year and Northeast Regional Division I Coach of the Year honors.

From 1998 to the 2001 season, the Huskies captured consecutive regular season BIG EAST titles. Reid was named the 1998 BIG EAST Coach of the Year and the 1999 Northeast Division I Regional Coach of the Year. Through eight seasons, he has compiled an impressive mark of 120-46-13 (.707), including 92-35-11 mark in the past six years.

Named the eighth head coach of men’s soccer at the University of Connecticut on December 18, 1996, Reid took over the coaching reigns after directing the Southern Connecticut State University program to NCAA Division II national titles in 1990, 1992 and 1995. He led SCSU to six trips to the NCAA Division II ‘Final Four’, including a ‘Final Four’ berth each of his last five seasons at the school.

At Southern Connecticut

As head coach of Southern Connecticut for eight years, Reid amassed a number of accolades, including three National Coach of the Year awards. He led the Owls to three national championships in five years and the team advanced to the NCAA national semifinals six times under his direction. For his contributions to Southern Connecticut athletics as both a coach and a player, Reid was inducted into the Southern Connecticut State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

He received the head coaching nod in 1989, taking over for Bob Dikranian and in only his second year at the helm, the team won the first of his three national crowns, posting an unbeaten 22-0-1 record in 1990. Reid then led Southern Connecticut to another national championship with a 21-2-1 record in 1992 and the Owls would win the national title for the third time under Reid’s direction in 1995, posting a 21-1-1 record.

During the decade of the 1990s (1990-1996), Reid’s teams at Southern Connecticut lost only 10 games in seven years, posting an overall record of 132-10-14 (.891) and going unbeaten in both 1990 and 1994. In 1996, Southern Connecticut was ranked No. 1 in the nation in NCAA Division II circles as Reid led SCSU to a 20-1-1 record, losing its only game of the year in the national semifinal round.

Prior to being named head coach, Reid served as top assistant to then head coach Dikranian for six seasons (1983-1988).Throughout his full 17 years of association with the Southern Connecticut men’s soccer program as a player, assistant coach and head coach, he was part of an overall record of 288-50-32 (.821), four national championships, 12 trips to the NCAA Semifinals and 16 NCAA postseason berths.

Prior to Coaching

A scholastic soccer star at Brentwood High School (NY), Reid was an all-region selection at Suffolk Community College before transferring to Southern Connecticut prior to the 1980 season. While at Southern, he helped lead the team to a 46-13-3 record over three seasons, reaching the NCAA Semifinals during each of those campaigns (1980-82).

Reid, a native of Brentwood, N.Y., and a 1982 graduate from Southern Connecticut, was a three-year starter and a two-year captain for the Owls during his undergraduate years. Southern had a 46-13-3 record during that span with three NCAA national semi-final appearances.

Reid coached the Connecticut Under-17 Olympic Development team for four seasons and has also coached the Under-15 team as well as the USSF Under-13 1/2 Region One Select Team. He is a member of the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association coaching staff and holds a USSF "A" coaching license.

Reid has two daughters, Cate (14) and Dannielle (12).