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Columbia International University

Columbia International University Athletics
 7435 Monticello Rd. Columbia, SC 29203
NAIA South Carolina Southeast
Private Very Small Developing team
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Bill Brindley

Bill Brindley was hired in February of 2017 as the second head men's soccer coach in CIU history. The 2023 season will be his seventh leading the Rams and 11th year as a collegiate head coach.


Since taking over in 2017, Brindley has led CIU to an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Regular-Season Championship (2021), an AAC Tournament Championship, four AAC postseason tournaments, three NCCAA Division I National Championship Tournaments, and two NAIA National Championship Tournaments.


The Rams won their first NCCAA Division I Men's Soccer National Championship in 2022.


Under Brindley's leadership, CIU has had nine NCCAA Division I All-Americans and four NAIA All-American honorable mentions. In addition to these honors, in 2019, CIU was awarded its second Kyle Rote Jr. award winner in Doran Batterman. The NCCAA gives this national award to a player who shows outstanding leadership and character.


The 2022 season was one of CIU's best in the existence of the program, as the Rams won both the AAC Tournament Championship and NCCAA Division I National Championship Tournament. Brindley was named the 2022 NCCAA National Coach of the Year as the Rams finished the season with a 15-4-5 overall record and a 9-2-2 record in the conference.


Brindley's program saw unparalleled success in 2021 as CIU went 19-4 overall and secured their first-ever AAC regular-season championship and a bid to the NAIA National Championship Tournament. The Rams hauled in the individual accolades as they were awarded AAC Offensive (Romulo Barreto), Defensive (Rafael Carneiro), and Freshman (Igor Eduardo) Player of the Year awards. On top of player awards, Brindley was named the 2021 AAC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year.


CIU ended the 2021 season ranked in the NAIA Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history as the Rams were slotted as the No. 17 team in the country.


Brindley holds a 64-46-7 record at the helm for the Rams and a career record of 108-63-7. On top of his coaching duties, Brindley is CIU's intramural director and currently serves as the Region Chair for the NCCAA South Region.


As a player, Coach Brindley played at both the intercollegiate and professional levels. Brindley had an outstanding career at Tennesee Temple University and NCAA Division II Palm Beach Atlantic University (Fla.). After graduating in 2006, Brindley signed and played for the United Soccer League's (USL) Real Maryland Monarch in 2009. He would continue his USL career with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds until 2011.


Brindley would step away from the pros in 2011 to pursue a career in coaching as he was named the head men's soccer coach at Trinity Baptist College (Fla.) in Jacksonville. At Trinity, Coach Brindley led his team to three regional championships and two NCCAA Division II National Championships. Brindley also coached ten NCCAA All-Americans during his time at Trinity. In 2015 he was named the NCCAA Division II Coach of the Year.


Brindley holds a bachelor's degree from Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) and an MBA from CIU. He currently resides in Columbia, S.C., with his wife Kelly and his four children, Theo, Sawyer, Wilder, and Olive.

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Nate Rhine

Assistant Coach

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