Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop athletic director Chuck Rey announced the hiring of Dale Parker as men's head soccer coach, Monday afternoon.
Parker becomes the 5
th head coach to lead the Winthrop men's soccer program over the course of 51 seasons.
Parker comes to the Eagles after spending the previous three seasons at the helm of the Lander University men's soccer program.
"I'm incredibly honored and excited to be leading such a storied program," said Parker. "I want to sincerely thank Athletic Director Chuck Rey and the entire hiring committee for their trust and belief in me and my vision. I'm also deeply appreciative of the Winthrop men's soccer alumni for their support, and for the tradition and pride they have established. My goal is to bring Winthrop men's soccer back to competing for championships. This is a program steeped in history and with tremendous potential. I'm eager to get to work and move it forward."
During his three seasons as head coach of Lander he led the Bearcats to a second-place regular season finish in 2023 and 2025. This past year the Bearcats posted a 9-5-4 overall record and 7-1-2 record in the Peach Belt Conference. In his first season as head coach at Lander, Parker led the Bearcats to a 9-5-4 overall record and a 7-1-2 conference record. After a successful regular season, the Bearcats were tabbed as the No. 2 seed in the 2023 PBC tournament bracket. Lander went on to defeat the No. 3 seed North Georgia 3-0 in the semifinals before falling to the No. 1 seeded Clayton State in the championship game.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dale as we enter the next era of Winthrop men's soccer," stated Rey. "Dale has a profound respect for the legacy and championship tradition of this program, and his proven leadership, commitment to student-athlete development, and clear vision will honor this past while driving the program to even greater heights in the future."
Parker served as an assistant coach under Lee Squires for three seasons at Lander before taking the head coaching job at Lincoln Memorial in 2022. Parker took over a Lincoln Memorial program that was 2-13-2 in 2021 and led the program to a 10-8-1 record in 2022 and advanced to the South Atlantic Conference championship game.
When Squires left Lander to take the head men's soccer job at Georgia Southern in December of 2022, Parker returned to Greenwood in January of 2023 to lead the Bearcats program. In his three seasons the Bearcats had 14 PBC All-Conference selections, five named United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region and the 2025 PBC Offensive Player of the Year in Christian Hatley.
