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Bill Elliot
The men’s and women’s soccer teams at the University of West Florida are known as two of the most successful programs at the Division II level, and UWF has Bill Elliott to thank for that legacy. Elliott began his tenure as head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams in 1995, and since that point UWF has taken over as the dominant school in Gulf South Conference soccer and is one of the most respected programs across the country.
Elliott has led the Argonauts men’s soccer team for 28 seasons, and he was also head coach for the women’s team from 1995 to 2001. As the leader of the UWF men’s team, Elliott has compiled a record of 284-125-45 (.661), and he led the Argos women’s team to a 98-34-6 (.732) record in his seven seasons leading both. With both teams combined, the Tennessee grad holds an overall record of 382-159-51 (.686).
In his 28 years leading the UWF men’s soccer team, the Argonauts have won ten GSC championships, the most in conference history. The Argos have also made 19 appearances in the GSC Tournament and seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament. In 2006, UWF went on a record-setting run, advancing to the NCAA Championships before falling in the semifinals to eventual national champion Dowling on penalty kicks.
In men’s soccer, Elliott is a seven-time GSC Coach of the Year and three-time South Region Coach of the Year. In the summer of 2010, he was also named to the GSC Men’s Soccer All-Time Team, honoring the top coach in GSC men’s soccer through the conference’s first 14 seasons sponsoring the sport. Elliott was later named as the GSC coach of the decade for the period of 2010-2019.
In 2021, Elliott coached the UWF men's soccer team to win their first Gulf South Conference title since 2013. The men's team made it to the second round of the Division II NCAA tournament. This is the program's 10th GSC Championship title and 19th tournament appearance.
Under his leadership, the Argonauts have boasted ten All-Americans, including first team All-Americans Eduardo Oliveira (2006), Keith Savage (2006) and Jimmy McHenry (2007). He has also coached six GSC Players of the Year, four GSC Freshmen of the Year, 95 All-GSC players and six GSC Tournament Most Outstanding Players. The Argonauts have also performed well in the classroom under Elliott’s watch, with 44 players earning GSC All-Academic Team honors.
After years of continued success throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, 2006 started the beginning of a new era as the men’s team won its first of five straight GSC titles. The 2006 squad finished the year 20-1-3 and took a national ranking of No. 3 into the NCAA semifinal match against Dowling. In 2007, UWF’s season was highlighted by school and conference records for longest winning streak (18) and finished the year 18-2-0.
On the women’s side, Elliott’s teams made the GSC Tournament each year from 1996 to 2001, including championships in 1996, 1998 and 1999. His best season with the women came in 1999, when UWF finished the year 19-2-0 with its second straight GSC title and first ever NCAA Tournament berth. Elliott is a three-time GSC Coach of the Year on the women’s side, as well as winning the 1999 South Region Coach of the Year award.
Brook Pace became UWF’s first ever women’s soccer All-American under Elliott in 1999, and he also coached one GSC Player of the Year, two GSC Freshmen of the Year, 23 All-GSC first team players, and three GSC Tournament Most Outstanding Players. UWF also had six women’s soccer players earn GSC All-Academic honors under Elliott’s watch.
Elliott came to West Florida from Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tenn. He spent two successful seasons with the Bulldogs, leading both the men's and women's teams to the playoffs in each season. Elliott's 1993 women's team captured the NAIA District 24 title, and he was named the district coach of the year. Overall, his women's teams compiled a 17-18-0 mark and his men's teams were 17-14-1.
Elliott's coaching career began in 1992 at Division III Maryville College in Maryville, Tenn. as an assistant under Pepe Fernandez. In his year at Maryville, the women finished 15-3 and ranked No. 20 in Division III. The men finished with a record of 10-8.
Elliott earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1991 and a master's in recreation and sports management in 1993 from the University of Tennessee. He also played NCAA Division I soccer for the Volunteers. Before his college career, Elliott played at Hixson High School in Chattanooga, Tenn. At Hixson, he led his team to a second place finish in the state as a senior captain.
Elliott also played Division III professional soccer in the United States Interregional Soccer League as a member of the Chattanooga Express. He helped lead the Express to a runner-up finish at the 1993-94 Indoor Soccer National Championships.
In 1997, he was hired mid-season as a player and head coach of the USL II Mobile Revellers with whom he had started the season as a player. In 1998, he was also a player and assistant coach for the Pensacola Barracudas. In recent years he coached the Panama City Pirates of the PDL in the summers of 2008 and 2009, and in 2012 he began a stint as head coach of Chattanooga FC in the National Premier Soccer League where he was three-time national coach of the year. Elliott has also served as an Olympic Development Program State Team coach for Alabama and currently serves as a member of the Region III ODP staff.
Elliott holds the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a USSF A License. He lives in Pensacola with his wife Chrissy, and they have two children, Peyton and Trey.
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