Aaron Gordon - Soccer Coach - Mississippi State

Aaron Gordon

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
aarongordon@athletics.msstate.edu
Phone:
325-2722

When Mississippi State Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin was searching for the fourth head coach in Mississippi State soccer history, one name that repeatedly came up in his search was Aaron Gordon.

Hailed by many as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the nation, Gordon was tabbed to take the reigns of the Bulldog soccer program on Nov. 27, 2012. Entering his fourth year at the helm, Gordon continues MSU’s rise as a soccer program. Under the tutelage of Gordon, the Bulldogs have had three players earn postseason honors, including one SEC All-Freshman Team honor.

In 2015, Gordon led the Maroon and White to one of its most successful seasons in over a decade as the Bulldogs earned three wins and two draws in conference play. The season was filled with many accomplishments, with the first coming in Fayetteville as the Bulldogs downed Arkansas on the road for the first time in school history. Gordon’s squad followed up that accomplishment by earning a pair of draws with Tennessee and Missouri, which was a first against either team in the series history. The highlight of 2015 came against Kentucky however; as the Bulldogs downed the 20th-ranked Wildcats, 3-0, for MSU’s first ranked win since 2011.

Gordon made the move to Starkville following six seasons on the staff at Texas Tech University, where he was named associate head coach of the Red Raiders on Feb. 15, 2012, after five seasons as an assistant at the school. His time in Lubbock helped prepare him for his first college head coaching opportunity, as he oversaw all areas of the program, including recruiting, scouting, team training and video match analysis.

During his six-year tenure as a member of head coach Tom Stone's staff, the Red Raiders became a regular fixture around the top of the Big 12 Conference table.

The 2012 season, his final at Texas Tech, was a record-setting one for the Red Raiders. The team won a school-record 16 games, advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament for the first time, and made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament, where it advanced to the second round. The 2012 Red Raiders tallied 130 points behind 46 goals and 38 assists, and defensively registered an 0.97 goals-against average while posting 10 shutouts.

Texas Tech's 16-win campaign was the school's third-straight double-digit win season, another first for the program. During his time in Lubbock, Gordon helped the Red Raiders to more overall (60) and conference (23) wins than the previous nine years combined, and a spot in the Big 12 Tournament all six seasons. He helped mentor seven players to Big 12 All-Freshman honors, including the Big 12 Freshman of the Year two of the past three seasons, and five to First Team All-Big 12 accolades. During his tenure, he also helped mentor a pair of players that were selected to United States youth national teams.

Gordon stayed in the state of Texas following a three-year stint with his hometown FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. With the team, he served as the director of coaching for the second- largest youth club program in North Texas. Gordon moved back to the Lone Star State following a tenure as the top assistant for the Atlanta Beat of the WUSA. While there, he coordinated the daily training schedule and served as head of scouting and video analysis among other duties.

He joined the Beat following a stint as director of coaching for Dallas Inter Soccer Club, where he oversaw a program that won numerous state and regional championships. In addition to his duties at Dallas Inter, Gordon also served as head coach of the Women's Texas Lightning team of the W-League, guiding the program to back-to-back United States Amateur Championships.

The Dallas native prepped at Lake Highlands High School before going on to Hardin Simmons University. He transferred to the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg before coming back to his home state in 1997 to receive his B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of North Texas. After college, Gordon played professionally in the USL, where he led the indoor league in goals in 1996.

Gordon, who holds a USSF "A" License and a USSF Goalkeeper Diploma, spent a tenure as the head coach for the 93 Region 3 ODP team.

Gordon and his wife Ashley, an assistant coach at MSU the past four seasons, have two daughters, Addison (16) and Avery (12).

The Aaron Gordon File

Coaching Experience:
2012-Present - Head Coach, Mississippi State University
2012 - Associate Head Coach, Texas Tech University
2007-11 - Assistant Coach, Texas Tech University
2003-07 - Director of Coaching, FC Dallas (Major League Soccer)
2001-03 - Assistant Coach, Atlanta Beat (WUSA)
2004, 2009-10 - Region III Olympic Development Program Staff
1997-00 - Director of Coaching, Dallas Inter Soccer Club
1996-98 - Head Coach, Texas Lightning (USWISL)
1993-97 - Staff Coach, Dallas Inter Soccer Club
1992-98 - Staff Coach, Texas Lightning Soccer Club
1992 - Richland Junior College

Professional Playing Experience:
1993, 1995-96 - Texas Lightning (USISL)
1994 - Dallas Rockets (USISL)

Collegiate Playing Experience:
1990 - University of South Carolina, Spartanburg
1989 - Richland Junior College
1988 - Hardin Simmons University

Soccer Coaching License:
1993 - United States Soccer Assoc. "A" Coaching License

Personal:
Joined MSU Staff - November, 2012
Birthdate - October 20, 1969
Hometown - Dallas, Texas
Family - Wife: Ashley; Daughters: Addison (16), Avery (12)
Education - Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (North Texas, 1997)