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Adam Clinton
Adam Clinton became the head coach for the men’s soccer team in 2002 and has since led the program to unprecedented success. The all-time leader in wins in school history, he has a record of 177-109-49 and a winning percentage of .601.
The native of Clifton Park, N.Y., and his team enjoyed a historic season in 2019, setting numerous school records and Adam Clintonqualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Led by nine All-Liberty League honorees, finished its season with school record totals in games played (23), wins (16-3-4), winning streak (10 games), unbeaten streak (13-0-2), goals (47) and goals in an NCAA Tournament game (4). The Engineers, who finished first in the conference (6-1-2) advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time, reaching the Elite 8. They were seventh in the final United Soccer Coaches Poll and 11th by D3soccer.com.
Josh Gaudiano was the Liberty League Rookie of the Year and co-Player of the Year, Trevor Bisson garnered National All-America and Dylan Confair was a CoSIDA National Academic All-America. Clinton and assistant coaches Kenn Fryer and Paul Fowler were recognized as the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year as well as the United Soccer Coaches East Region Staff of the Year.
In his 18 years at the helm, the team has now had 15 winning records, including 12 in the past 13 campaigns, and double-digit victories nine times. Rensselaer had 10-or-more wins for three straight years from 2007-09, including a school-record 14 in 2009 (14-3-2). The Engineers bettered that feat from 2012-15 when they had at least 10 wins in four straight seasons.
Two years prior, in 2016, RPI earned a 5-2-1 Liberty League mark, led by Devon Baughen, the conference Offensive Player of the Year. The senior forward became the first player in Liberty League history to record at least one point in every conference match. Junior Steven Collins was named a CoSIDA National Academic All-America, the seventh such honoree under Clinton. He would repeat the feat in 2017.
In 2015, Clinton guided RPI to the NCAA Tournament for the program's seventh appearance. The Engineers finished 12-5-3 after earning an at-large berth in the national tournament field. They won in overtime in the first round before bowing out in double overtime in the second - matching the farthest the team had ever advanced.
RPI posted 12 wins the previous year, making the Liberty League Championship Game in 2014 to finish 12-4-3. That squad, which featured the conference's Offensive (Matt Koziol) and Defensive Players of the Year (Rob Dewald), was 6-1-1 in conference play.
Adam ClintonThe 2013 team went 11-5-2 and 5-1-2 in Liberty League competition, qualifying for the conference playoffs, just one season after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 2012 team (10-6-6; 5-1-2) won a game in the national tournament after claiming the league title on penalty kicks.
The Engineers also played in the Liberty League Championship Game in 2010 behind goaltender Alex Penny, the Defensive Player of the Year and a 2020 inductee into the Rensselaer Athletics Hall of Fame.
The season before Clinton led his squad to one of the best years in program history, 14-3-2 with a 5-1-1 Liberty League mark. The Engineers, behind All-America Lincoln Field, received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, advancing to the second round after with a win in Troy. Clinton was named the 2009 United Soccer Coaches Regional Coach of the Year and the conference's Coach of the Year honor - the second straight after a 2008 campaign in which the Engineers were 13-6-1 overall and 6-1-0 in Liberty League play.
The 2007 season marked the second time in Clinton's tenure in which RPI won at least 10 games (10-6-4) and the second time a year culminated with an ECAC Tournament title. The 2005 team won the same championship en route to finishing 11-7-2, the most wins the team had since 1998.
Prior to coaching at Rensselaer, Clinton was an assistant at the University of Albany for one season, the head coach at Hudson Valley Community College for one year and an assistant at both Union College and Skidmore College. His overall collegiate coaching record is 193-137-52 (.573).
Clinton has also been a head coach on the professional level, leading the Capital District Alley Cats of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues from 1997-98, handling the day-to-day operations, including recruiting the players and forming the team.
Clinton played soccer at both HVCC and Keene State College. At Hudson Valley, he was the team's MVP and All-Region, while at Keene he was the captain of the nationally-ranked program, which played at the Division II level at that time. Clinton also played professionally for the New York Kick in the National Professional Soccer Indoor League.
Clinton, who earned an A.A.S. degree in drafting design from HVCC before receiving a B.S. in industrial technology from Keene, holds a United States Soccer Federation A license and is a USSF State D-Level Instructor/Examiner.
The former director of Clifton Park Soccer Club-Premier, he is currently working with NY Elite FC. He lives in Clifton Park with his two children, Tyler and Sarah.
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