GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman head coach Doug Allison and his staff were named the United Soccer Coaches Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year, it was announced on Friday. 

Allison and his staff, which includes associate head coaches Bret Boulware and Brandon Tucker, and volunteer assistant coach Charlie Arndt, guided the Paladins to unprecedented success in 2025. The Paladins posted a 16-2-5 record, captured Southern Conference regular season and tournament title, and advanced to the NCAA Men's College Cup for the first time in school history. Furman earned a No. 3 national ranking in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25, which was released this week.

"This is an incredible honor, and I can't believe this is happening for our staff," said Doug Allison, who is retiring after 31 years and 365 victories as Furman's head coach. "We have tremendous support from Furman University and outstanding student-athletes to work with each day. I'm so thankful for the hard work that Coach Boulware, Coach Tucker, Coach Arndt, and every player on our team has put into this program. We also could not reach this level of success without the contributions of our strength and conditioning coach Altman Biggs, athletic trainer Jeremy Page, and the fantastic work of Shannon Dobbin behind the scenes. This is surreal for our program to receive this honor at the end of my final year. It's icing on the cake for me!"

Allison and his staff helped Furman earn a No. 16 national seed and the school's first opening round bye in the NCAA Tournament following the program's second straight SoCon Tournament title. The Paladins blanked Western Michigan in the second round of the NCA Tournament before advancing past Hofstra on penalty kicks in the Sweet Sixteen. Freshman Braden Dunham's goal from 40 yards out and the outstanding play of redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Ivan Horvat and his defense helped the Paladins prevail at No. 8 seed Portland in the quarterfinals as Furman secured its first trip to the College Cup. The magical ride came to an end in the national semifinals against eventual national champion Washington, but not before Luke Munson's sliding clearance off the goal line and Luke Hutzell's second-half volley landed the Paladins two highlights on SportsCenter's Top 10.

"Being named national coach of the year in his final season as head coach is a fitting tribute to an extraordinary career," said Furman Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Donnelly. "For more than three decades, Doug Allison's leadership, integrity, and unwavering commitment to excellence have defined Furman soccer. This honor reflects the historic success of this year's team, and the profound, lasting impact Doug has made on generations of Paladin student-athletes. Congratulations to Doug, his family, and the entire Furman Soccer program on this well-deserved national recognition."

Since 1995, Allison has become the winningest coach in Southern Conference history, leading the Paladins to 12 regular season titles, 11 tournament championships, and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight in 1999, a Sweet Sixteen in 2002, and this season's NCAA College Cup. He has developed 152 All-SoCon players, his players have captured 30 All-America citations, and he has mentored future U.S. National Team and MLS athletes, including Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, and Walker Zimmerman. Allison is set to be inducted into the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame in February.

The Furman staff will be honored at the United Soccer Coaches Awards Ceremony on Jan. 16, 2026, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pa., in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention. Each Regional Staff of the Year appeared on the ballot for National Staff of the Year, along with the addition of staffs from all schools which reached the semifinals of their respective championship.

Minuteman Press is the Official Sponsor of Furman Athletics press releases.