GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman University Director of Athletics Jason Donnelly announced today that men's head soccer coach Doug Allison has received a contract extension. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.

"Furman Athletics is honored to extend the contract of the Southern Conference's all-time men's soccer wins leader Doug Allison," said director of athletics Jason Donnelly. "During Doug's distinguished tenure at Furman, he has consistently demonstrated success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. He has recruited, developed, and coached elite talent around the world, while fostering a culture of excellence based on family values that have impacted hundreds of student-athletes. We are thankful for the generous support of our alumni and donors who made this extension possible, and we are all excited to watch our men's program achieve new heights under Doug's leadership."

Allison, who is entering his 27th season atop Furman's program, ranks among the Top 25 winningest head coaches in NCAA Division I, sporting a 316-147-58 record (.662) that includes 13 Southern Conference regular season championships, 11 league tournament titles, and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.  The nine-time SoCon Coach of the Year selection is the most successful coach in league history. 

"Coach Allison has proven over his long and distinguished career to be an outstanding teacher, mentor, and motivator – as can be seen by the performances and achievements of his student-athletes on the field and in the classroom," said Furman President Elizabeth Davis. "I am excited to see what new heights Doug and his team will reach in the coming years."

"People want to be a part of something they can trust that is bigger than themselves," said Allison.  "Over my 26 years here at Furman, I have strived to create a trusting and mentoring culture within our program for the players, coaches, and alumni . This contract extension will allow me to continue to build on that and help graduate leaders of men l am proud to say are wonderful husbands and fathers who are sustaining the Furman culture and tradition. 

"I want to thank Jason Donnelly and his vision for me and the men's soccer program here at Furman . I also want to thank President Davis, Erin Mayes, Erin Wissing, and my assistant coaches for their help and creativity, which allows me to bring in quality student athletes to the program each year. Without them, we would not be able to accomplish the high academic and athletic standards this program strives for. Better people make better Paladins!

"I especially want to thank the alumni and Greenville community for their incredible support.  I believe Rob Victor '09, one of many alumni who brought their sons and daughters back to campus for a family soccer camp experience, summed it up when he said, 'It was pretty awesome to see my son Cole go to his first soccer camp with coach at my alma mater. Full circle, I grew up going to camp, got to coach Doug's son Callum, currently a sophomore on the team, and this week Callum got to coach my son Cole.'"   

Since taking over the reins of Furman's program in 1995, Allison has overseen the positioning of Paladin soccer on the national stage while also garnering international exposure.  

Allison's 1999 squad posted a program record 21 wins, advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament with victories over North Carolina and Wake Forest, and finished the regular season ranked third in the nation.

In 2002, Furman broke two long standing NCAA Division I records, running its SoCon unbeaten streak to 43 matches, which also included an 11-match shutout streak en route to 19-3-1 overall record that ended with a 2-1 double-overtime, quarterfinal loss to eventual national runner-up Stanford.

During his time at Furman, Allison has coached 130 All-SoCon performers, nine players of the year, and 14 All-Americans. In addition, nine Paladins have been selected in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Draft, several of whom have gone on to make their mark professionally — chief among them United States National Team standouts Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, and Walker Zimmerman. Dempsey earned a place on the United States' 2006 World Cup squad and was the USA's only goal scorer in Germany.  He earned the Bronze Boot after guiding the U.S. to the Confederations Cup final in South Africa in 2009 before leading the Americans at the 2010 World Cup.  In 2014, Dempsey captained a U.S. squad that made it out of the group stage in Brazil and is the American co-record holder for most goals scored in international competition.

Clark made his first appearance with the squad in late 2005 and became a regular in the midfield appearing alongside Dempsey in the 2010 World Cup. Zimmerman, a member of the U.S. squad for the past two seasons, helped the United States to the finals of the 2019 Gold Cup and earned a spot in the MLS All-Star Game starting XI as a member of LAFC. 

Allison's arrival at Furman followed a four-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina, his alma mater. During that span, the Gamecocks posted a 59-18-7 record and made three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 1993.

He served as an assistant coach for two seasons at the University of North Carolina (1989-90), helping the Tar Heels to the NCAA Final 16 in 1990. While at UNC, Allison earned a master's degree in physical education, recreation and sports science, and was honored as National Outstanding Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 1991.

A native of Bath, England, Allison played collegiately at South Carolina, where he earned both athletisce and academic All-America honors while helping the Gamecocks to four consecutive winning campaigns and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He remains South Carolina's all-time leading scorer with 63 goals and 32 assists (158 points) is is a member of the school's athletics hall of fame.

He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in physical education and minor in biology in 1989.