Bradley University Athletics

Former Bradley Director of Athletics Ron Ferguson made a leap of faith when he named a young, but rising star in the coaching profession the third head coach in Bradley Soccer history in 1996.  The youngest head coach in NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer when he joined the Braves, Jim DeRose, 54, has grown into one of the most successful coaches in the nation during his 26 years at the helm of the Bradley program. 

Not only does DeRose enter the 2022 season with a 257-210-57 (.545) career record, but he owns 83.4 percent of the total wins in Bradley Soccer history and he is the second-winningest coach in Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Soccer history.  Those accomplishments simply top an ever-growing list:

Bradley Head Coach Jim DeRose ...

• Owns four Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships and three MVC Tournament titles
• Has led the Braves to seven NCAA Tournament appearances
• Has averaged 10 wins per season
• Boasts the longest overtime unbeaten streak in NCAA soccer history (24 games, 10-0-14, from 2001-06)
• Has guided the Braves to national rankings in eight seasons
• Coached the only four-time All-American (Gavin Glinton) and four-time All-MVC goalkeeper (Chris Dunsheath) in MVC history
• Has developed nine Major League Soccer SuperDraft selections
• Coached the Braves to at least the semifinal round of 11 consecutive MVC Tournaments (1998-2008)
• Has mentored 16 scholastic All-Americans
• Has coached 12 All-Americans
• Boasts 22 wins versus nationally-ranked opponents
• Has coached 32 scholastic all-region/district honorees
• Has coached 51 United Soccer Coaches All-Region picks
• Has coached 76 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes
• Has coached 110 All-Missouri Valley Conference performers

When contacting Bradley Soccer with recruiting information, please direct emails to soccer@bradley.edu. 

A native of Cinnaminson, NJ, DeRose brings enthusiasm, a disciplined work ethic and popularity to The Hilltop. Those characteristics have helped him claim Soccer America magazine’s 2007 National Coach-of-the-Year award, three USC Midwest Region Coach-of-the-Year honors (1998, 2007 and 2013) and four Valley Coach-of-the-Year awards -- 1996, 1998, 2006 and 2007 (the latter two as staff awards). In addition, the CollegeSoccerNews.com website named DeRose one of the nation’s top teachers and tacticians in the college game in 2000.

When DeRose became Bradley’s third soccer head coach in the spring of 1996, he inherited a program that had produced only 51 victories during its nine-year existence (51-114-11, .321) and was coming off consecutive three-win seasons. While compiling his impressive record, DeRose has guided the Braves to a trio of double-digit unbeaten streaks, most-recently a 12-game streak (8-0-4) from Oct. 28, 2017 through Sept. 14, 2018. In addition, DeRose has led the Braves to the program’s first-ever national rankings: the Braves climbed to No. 14 in Soccer America magazine’s weekly poll during the 1998 season and now have been ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams during nine of the last 22 seasons.

Not only have the Braves enjoyed tremendous team success, DeRose’s coaching has led to countless individual accomplishments among his players. Former Brave Gavin Glinton (1998-2001) ended his career as the Missouri Valley Conference career leader in goals (53) and points (133) and he remains the only four-time All-American in Bradley Athletics and Valley soccer history. Glinton became the second men's soccer player inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2014.

At the other end of the field, former Braves keeper Chris Dunsheath (2001-05) finished third in NCAA history with 8,197 career minutes played and set the Valley record with 27.5 career shutouts. The 2005 Valley Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American, Dunsheath became the first keeper in league history to earn four All-MVC awards (second team in 2002 and first team in 2003, 2004 and 2005). More recently, Joe Donoho (2007) and Wojciech Wojcik (2013) have been selected the Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Year, while Bryce Logan was the 2020-21 MVC Goalkeeper of the Year.

DeRose’s Bradley program also has produced nine Major League Soccer SuperDraft selections in the last 17 years. Goalkeeper Logan Ketterer, now of CF Montréal, became the most recent addition to that list in 2017 when he was selected in the fourth round by Columbus Crew SC.  Former Bradley star Bryan Gaul helped David Beckham, Landon Donavan and company to the 2012 MLS Cup in his rookie season. Other MLS SuperDraft selections under DeRose’s watch include Gaul (2012), Chris Cutshaw (2009), Dunsheath (2006), Luke Kreamalmeyer (2005, MLS Combine MVP), Tim Regan (2003), Hamid Mehreioskouei (2003), Glinton (2002) and Bryan Namoff (2001).

While Bradley’s on-field success under DeRose is impressive, the accomplishments of his players in the classroom are even more impressive. DeRose’s players have collected 16 CoSIDA Academic All-America or USC Scholar All-American awards, 32 regional and district academic awards and 76 Valley Scholar-Athlete awards. In addition, Bradley Soccer has seven times received the NCAA Public Recognition Award in honor of the program’s Academic Progress Rate performance, including a run of five straight years (2016-20), and the Braves routinely earn the annual USC Team Academic Award by posting a team-wide GPA better than 3.00.

DeRose's career has been marked by more than just player development: he also has grown an impressive coaching tree.  The large branches of that tree include six former DeRose assistant coaches who have gone on to become NCAA Division I head coaches, while 12 of his 16 Bradley assistant coaches remained in the profession as the 2020 season began.

Jim DeRose Coaching Tree (* became NCAA Division I head coaches)
*Brian Barnett (2009-15) – former IUPUI head coach
Grant Bell (Player) - St. Cloud State assistant coach
*Ronnie Bouemboue (2013-14) – former Eastern Illinois head coach, current Northern Illinois assistant coach
Nate Boyden (2012) – Davis Legacy technical director
Joe Burger (2015-16) – Kansas Youth Soccer executive director
*Jesse Cormier (1998-99) – Florida Gulf Coast head coach
Adrian Cox (2001-03) – The Baldwin School head coach
Raleigh DeRose Tallman (Daughter) - Brown women's soccer associate head coach
*Chad Flanders (1996-99) – Aurora University assistant coach and former Central Arkansas head coach
Jeff Gettler (2009) – Richmond Strikers director of coaching U13-U19
Gavin Glinton (2004) – Sacramento United technical director
Alec Koski (2021) -- Bradley assistant coach
*Devin O'Neill (2010-11) – Western New England head coach and former Massachusetts head coach
Tim Regan (2017-Active) – Bradley assistant coach
*Brad Ruzzo (2000-07) – Mercer head coach
 
DeRose came to Bradley after spending the 1995 season as the top assistant at the University of Richmond. While aiding the rising Spiders program, DeRose also served as the Director of Tournament Operations for the 1995 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer National Championship, now known as the College Cup.

No stranger to Central Illinois, DeRose spent three years (1992-94) as the top assistant at Illinois State University before the Normal, IL, school dropped the men’s soccer program. DeRose also was an assistant at Vermont in 1991, helping the program stay in the regional (top five ranking) and national (top 20) spotlight.

DeRose began his coaching career at his alma mater, Northern Vermont-Johnson, in Johnson, VT. While playing goalkeeper for NVJ, DeRose helped the Badgers to consecutive NAIA National Championship Tournament appearances and regular top-20 rankings. As a senior in 1989, DeRose earned NAIA first-team All-America honors while capturing the New England Player-of-the-Year Award. In postseason play that year, DeRose took MVP honors at the Senior Bowl in Tempe, AZ.

DeRose followed his college career by playing professionally in Albuquerque, NM, for the New Mexico Chiles of the American Professional Soccer League.

In addition to his NCAA Division I coaching experience, DeRose has been a member of both the Region I (East) and Region II (Midwest) Olympic Development Program coaching staffs, while serving nine years as an ODP State Team coach in Vermont and Illinois.

DeRose has both a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Northern Vermont-Johnson. He also owns a USSF “B” license and a USC National Coaching Diploma.

DeRose and his wife, Robin, are the proud parents of two children, daughter Raleigh (28) and son, J.R. (23).  Raleigh DeRose Tallman was a four-year letterwinner for the Knox College women's soccer team and now is an assistant coach at Brown University, while J.R. DeRose was a goalkeeper at Mercer from 2016-21, earning second-team All-SoCon in 2018 and 2019 SoCon Tournament MVP honors..

The Jim DeRose File
Education
Bachelor of Arts -- Northern Vermont-Johnson ‘89
Master’s in Education -- Northern Vermont-Johnson ‘92

Coaching Awards
Soccer America National Coach of the Year: 2007
USC Midwest Coach of the Year: 1998, 2007 and 2013
MVC Coaching Staff of the Year:  2006 and 2007
MVC Coach of the Year:  1996 and 1998
CollegeSoccerNews.com Top Teachers and Tacticians:  2000

Bradley Head Coach (1996-Present)