Elon University’s men’s soccer coach Marc Reeves earned his 100th win as a head coach when the Phoenix defeated Delaware 1-0 on Sept. 11, 2021.
Head Coach of Elon University men's soccer, Marc Reeves
Reeves played college soccer at St. John’s University and began his coaching career in 1999. He landed his first head coaching job at Radford University, where he compiled a record of 75-43-20 from 2011 to 2016. Since arriving at Elon in 2017, Reeves has a 25-27-10 record.
The interview has been edited for clarity.
How does it feel to reach 100 career wins?
"There's a lot of good memories in there for certain, the longevity and being able to be involved in college athletics at some great places. Whenever we're at home, my wife and kids come on the field afterwards and that's always the best part. So, for the hundredth time in a win was a great thing."
When you first started coaching, did you think you would ever reach this milestone?
"I was really fortunate I got to play at St John's and get my master's degree, and then Coach David Masur, an incredible icon of college soccer, kept me around, thankfully. When you’re a head coach, you're really trying to have as much success as possible, but it's hard. The margins are really small. So, being able to get a hundred wins, no matter how long it takes anyone, is a great thing."
How proud are you of this achievement, and why is it meaningful to you?
"It means more to me that my family has been part of it the whole way through and allowed me to be in college soccer, it's quite demanding on the time side of it. You are involved with 30 young men's lives the entire time. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to stay within it. It’s something I enjoy doing. The football aspect, the locker room aspect, the training aspect, and being around the guys, it's exciting to be involved with. You only get 17 games a year, so if you can grab some wins and be in the positive column, which I currently am, a hundred wins is fantastic. And there's a lot of people that have been part of that helped in that."
What has been the main foundation for your success as a head coach?
"I'm thankful to the people that play a massive role. My wife, Suzanne, my kids, Robbie, Olivia, and Jackson, and my dog, Blitz, keep me in a sane place a lot of times. And then the assistant coaches and volunteers I've had, the support, staff, strength coaches, SIDs (sports information directors) and trainers. They all play a part in getting a winning culture. And as I said, I hope we can keep building on that in this season and for many years to come."
What are you looking forward to about the rest of the season?
"We've got a strong group that's been with us and been through some of the ups and downs. So, I think that's providing a solid base. We've included some other good players, I think right now, with our training and our commitment, the improvement as a team has been good. I'm going to make sure we keep preparing to perform our best to try and get more results like we did versus Delaware."