Coaches

Chris Fox

Chris Fox, the architect of an impressive turnaround at Morehead State, was named head women's soccer coach at BGSU on Wed., Dec. 20, 2023, Directorr of Athletics Derek van der Merwe announced.


"The BGSU family is excited to welcome Coach Chris Fox, his wife Emily, and their family to our Bowling Green community," said van der Merwe. "Our women's soccer program has had sustained success in competing for championships over the last 10 years because of great coaches and student-athletes.


"Coach Fox is an experienced leader who knows how to build successful organizations and programs. He is passionate about details, values, discipline, and the holistic development of student-athletes.


"He is committed to the student-athlete experience, placing genuine value on the educational process. His dedication and philosophy make him the ideal choice for BGSU.


"He has contributed to multiple conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances at various stops in his career. This past fall he led Morehead State to an Ohio Valley Conference title and NCAA appearance. We are honored to have him join our team and our quest for excellence."


Fox assumed the helm of the Morehead State program in 2022, taking over a program that had won a total of 18 games in the previous five seasons, and proceeded to lead the Eagles to a 7-7-4 record in that '22 campaign, followed by a 9-6-5 mark in 2023.


The Eagles, who went 6-18-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play in the three seasons from 2019-21, posted a 4-2-2 league mark in the 2022 campaign.


Then, in 2023, MSU went 6-1-2 in OVC regular-season play to finish second in the conference, then won the league tournament to advance to the NCAA Championships. Fox was named a 2023 OVC co-Coach of the Year.


The team's overall record of 9-6-5 in the fall of 2023 was the team's best mark since 2015.


"I am excited and honored to be named the next women's soccer head coach at Bowling Green State University," said Fox. "I would like to thank Athletic Director Derek van der Merwe, President Rogers and the rest of the athletic administration for placing their trust in me to lead the program.


"I want to thank Morehead State University for giving me the opportunity to become a head coach and for all of their support during my time there. A special thank you to all of the players for their unwavering commitment, hard work and passion in reshaping Morehead State soccer. It was an honor to work with you all and I will forever cherish those relationships.


"I believe that BG Soccer will continue to be a force in the MAC. My family and I are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the Bowling Green community and I cannot wait to get started."


Fox's guidance led to immense success in 2022 as the Eagles finished with seven wins and four OVC wins. The program achieved a plethora of accolades and accomplishments including the highest OVC finish since 2013 (third), the most wins since 2015 (7), the third-longest unbeaten streak (6) in program history, the fewest losses since 2014, and the fewest goals allowed in program history (21).


In addition, Fox's style of play led to ample opportunities for student-athletes to achieve a high number of individual honors, including the program's first clean sweep of all three OVC weekly awards (Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Goalkeeper of the Week) since 2007, and the program's first All-OVC First-Team honoree since 2018.


Then, in 2023, Fox and the Eagles enjoyed many more accolades, including the program's most all-conference selections (five) since 1999 and the OVC Tournament MVP (Kate Larbes).


After a 1-4-3 start to the season, the Eagles then went 8-1-2 over the next 11 contests, all against OVC foes. That 11-game run ended with a six-match winning streak that spanned the end of the regular season and the conference tournament.


The Eagles allowed just four goals in those 11 matches, with eight shutouts during that time. In all, MSU posted nine shutouts on the season, the second-highest total in program history.


Fox joined the Eagles after spending four highly-successful seasons with High Point University, starting as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator before being promoted to associate head coach in 2020.


During his four seasons at HPU, the team enjoyed the most successful period in program history, which culminated in a Big South Conference title and NCAA Tournament berth in the fall of 2021.


Starting with nearly a complete rebuild in 2018 due to extensive graduation losses from the year before, it only took Fox and the staff one year to ascend to the top. In 2019, High Point set Big South records by going undefeated and winning the regular season title.


In the spring of 2021 (fall season moved due to COVID), the program bettered that record by winning the regular-season title with a perfect 8-0 mark, while only conceding three goals. Fox's expertise helped head coach Brandi Fontaine win Big South Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons.


With Fox on staff, HPU rose as high as No. 6 in the RPI and No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches Southeast Region, and the program received top-25 votes from United Soccer Coaches, Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News across multiple weeks in the spring 2021 season. All of these rankings were program bests. High Point also ranked top-10 in the nation in several stat categories: scoring offense, goals against average, save percentage, winning pct. and points per game.


Fox was directly responsible for the recruitment and development of four High Point United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Players, one Big South Attacking Player of the Year, two Big South Freshmen of the Year, seven First-Team all-conference players and five Second-Team all-conference players. Two of these players have since signed professional contracts with S.S. Lazio and AS St-Étienne in Italy and France, respectively, another program first.


Before joining the staff at High Point, Fox spent 10 years in Pennsylvania working on the club circuit for HMMS Eagle FC. Fox guided a number of teams to great success, including his 1999 girls' team, which featured more than 20 future collegiate players, wins in the Region 1 Premier League, Jefferson Cup and Disney Showcase, as well as a No. 2 national ranking.


Fox currently holds a National "B" License with the United States Soccer Foundation and his 'Premier License' with United Soccer Coaches.


Fox, a native of Stone, Staffordshire, England, is a 2009 graduate of Messiah University (formerly Messiah College) in Mechanicsburg, Pa., where he earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing. He and his wife, Emily (a former Messiah College Field Hockey standout), have two daughters, Cassidy (4) and Addison (2).