Bradley soccer coach Jim DeRose turned to one of his mentors when filling the most recent vacancy on his coaching staff, adding former Richmond head coach Jeff Gettler as his top assistant last winter. In the year before coming to Bradley, DeRose was the top assistant at Richmond during the 1995 season, Gettler's first as head coach of the Spiders.
"Without question, the addition of Coach Gettler to our staff is one that brings incredible excitement," said DeRose. "His experience, success and intimate knowledge of soccer, both domestically and abroad, automatically makes us better in all facets of the program.
"It is not often that a program such as ours can add a person of such great experience, and although we operated the for several months without a full staff last season, the opportunity to add Coach Gettler simply was worth the wait," DeRose added. "Coach Gettler was an incredible mentor to me early in my career and he has continued to be a great source of information and support throughout my time here at Bradley. I am excited about the exchange of ideas and thoughts on a daily basis that hopefully will continue to grow the program."
"Jim (DeRose) and Bradley University have built the men's soccer program into a model of what intercollegiate athletics should be and I am thrilled to be a part of this outstanding program," Gettler said. "Jim also has created some initiatives and challenges for the program that I am extremely excited about. This opportunity gives me the chance to work with Jim again and I hope Coach (Brian) Barnett and I can help Coach DeRose continue to move the program forward.
Gettler brings 27 years of collegiate head coaching experience to The Hilltop, boasting a 231-224-67 record at Massachusetts, Lafayette and Richmond. Gettler comes to Bradley after a 14-year stint at Richmond, where he posted a 123-115-40 overall record. The Spiders claimed a pair of Atlantic 10 regular season championships during Gettler's tenure (1998, 2003) and he guided Richmond to the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and 2002. Gettler was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2003 and he leaves Richmond with the most wins and best winning percentage in program history.
Prior to his tenure at Richmond, Gettler was the head coach at Massachusetts from 1982 to 1990, earning a Coach-of-the-Year honor from the New England Intercollegiate Soccer League in 1984 and compiling a nine-year record of 68-83-19. Prior to taking over the Richmond program, Gettler also was the head coach at Lafayette from 1991-94, compiling a four-year record of 40-26-8. The Leopards claimed back-to-back Patriot League regular-season titles in 1993 and 1994 and won the conference tournament championship in 1994 to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Gettler was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 1994.
In addition to his coaching duties at Richmond, Gettler was instrumental in hosting, organizing and directing four NCAA Division I Men's Soccer National Championship Final Fours at Richmond from 1995 to 1998. A member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America since 1973, Gettler served as the program director of the NSCAA national convention from 1985 to 1987 and has been a member of the NCAA national championships committee since 1980.
Besides his own coaching success, Gettler has been a mentor to many in the profession. Including DeRose, 17 of Gettler's former assistant coaches have gone on to become college head coaches and three of his former players currently hold college head coaching jobs. Additionally, former Lafayette assistant Nelson Rodriguez is a senior vice president for Major League Soccer, while former Lafayette player Brad Pursell now serves as the Senior Director of Communications and Broadcasting for MLS.
A native of Philadelphia, Gettler received his bachelor's degree in religion from Lycoming College (Pa.) in 1973 before earning his master's degree in education from Boston University in 1981. He and his wife Lori have two daughters, Carly (25) and Abbey (23).