Greenville, S.C. – Furman Athletics is excited to announce the creation of the Coach Charlie Arndt Endowed Scholarship for Men's Soccer, named for longtime Furman men's soccer assistant, Charlie Arndt.

Through the combined efforts and donations of the Furman Men's Soccer goalkeeper alumni, this endowment will provide scholarships to men's soccer goalkeeper student-athletes at Furman, expanding the scholarships available to the team and enhancing the financial sustainability of the program. 

"Charlie's impact on the Furman Men's Soccer program is truly immeasurable," said the endowment's anonymous lead donor. "Not only is he one of the best goalkeeper coaches in the country, but he's also a humble mentor to so many former and current players.  I'm grateful that I can join other goalkeeper alumni in giving back to someone who has given so much to us.  He strengthened my character and taught me how to relentlessly pursue excellence in every facet of my life. I can't think of a better way to recognize Charlie for his commitment to the program and devotion to servant leadership."

This gift is part of a larger effort surrounding men's soccer to expand scholarships through the team's endowment while creating greater long-term financial sustainability for the program. The effort, led by former players Walker Zimmerman, Rob Victor, Graham Seagraves and David May, and Spinx chairman Steve Spinks, in partnership with Furman Athletics, has raised over $1 million for the men's soccer scholarship endowment and maintains a goal of raising $2 million total. Before this fundraising initiative began, the men's soccer scholarship endowment stood at only $27,000.
 
"Furman athletics is grateful for the leadership and generosity of our Furman soccer alumni, family and friends to support scholarships for the program," said Paladin athletics director Jason Donnelly. "We are honored to recognize Charlie Arndt's commitment to the team and his success developing goalkeepers on and off the field. Congratulations to Charlie on this well-deserved and impactful recognition."

Furman Athletics is prioritizing fundraising for scholarship endowment so that each program may have the opportunity to grow the scholarship allotment currently available to them, up to the NCAA maximum, while creating a sustainable funding source for scholarships.

A former teammate of head coach Doug Allison at the University of South Carolina, Arndt has served as Furman's goalkeeper coach since Allison arrived at Furman in 1995. He has helped the Paladins to 11 Southern Conference regular season titles, nine SoCon Tournament crowns, and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. With Arndt's help, the Paladins reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 1999 and the round of 16 in 2002, while compiling and overall record of 323-156-59 over the past 27 seasons.
 
"I am extremely pleased, proud and humbled that the Furman alumni goalkeepers have pulled together to help future Paladin goalkeepers with scholarship opportunities," said Allison. "The fact that the endowment is in the name of coach Arndt is an honor so fitting, as Charlie has not only trained all these goalkeepers at Furman but has played a pivotal role in impacting their lives after college. Charlie was a fantastic goalkeeper and wonderful teammate of mine at South Carolina and has continued to challenge me to be a better coach through the last 28 years that we have been together here at Furman."
 
During Arndt's time at Furman, Paladin goalkeepers have claimed 17 All-SoCon citations and many have moved on to professional careers, including Ronnie Pascale with the Richmond Kickers (USL), Scott Blount with the Atlanta Silverbacks (USL), Alex Kann with Atlanta United (MLS) and FC Cincinnati (MLS), Maros Valko with Carrick Rangers (N. Ireland), Sven Lissek with FC Emmendingen (Germany) and Ben Hale with the Greenville Triumph (USL).
 
"Charlie Arndt has had an immense impact on me and on every other student-athlete who has come through the men's soccer program," said Kann, who currently plays for FC Cincinnati. "Charlie showed me the value of hard work and unwavering dedication to my craft, and that guidance has helped me immeasurably in my playing career and in life outside of soccer."
 
As a player, Arndt fashioned one of the finest careers of any goalkeeper in Gamecock soccer history, starting for three seasons and recording 13 shutouts and 0.58 career goals against average. He helped South Carolina to a 47-11-7 record and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1986, 1987 and 1988. As a senior, he was a consensus All-America selection, and was also named NCAA Goalkeeper of the Year and GTE Academic All-America.
 
Arndt, who graduated from South Carolina in 1990 with a degree in finance, played one season of professional soccer in Germany before returning to the United States.