It's with a heavy heart that St. Mary's College of Maryland men's soccer coach Herb Gainey announces his retirement from a sport that he has been passionate about for 32 years, stepping down from the coaching helm to return to a career in information technology.

Gainey lamented, "I am sad to leave the College and retire from the game I love, but after almost 32 years, it is time to say goodbye to both."

Adding, "I am proud of what my staff and I have accomplished with the program, never running from any competition and competing with the best.  I love the boys on the team and will miss them, but I'll still be living in the county and will be visiting them all the time and watching them take the program to another level."

In nine seasons at the helm of the Seahawk men's soccer program, Gainey became the winningest coach in school history with 76 career victories.  Every season, his squads arguably played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, advancing to the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals four times.  The veteran leader coached 18 Seahawks to 23 first or second team All-CAC selections, along with the 2002 CAC Player of the Year and the 2007 CAC Rookie of the Year.

Scott Devine, St. Mary's Director of Athletics & Recreation, said, "I know I speak for our entire staff and our student-athletes when I say we will all miss working with Herb Gainey.  Coach Gainey has been connected to the College and youth soccer in Maryland for many years and he has been a major force in developing the sport in our area and region.  I am extremely thankful for all of his contributions to our men's soccer program, the athletic department, the College, and the local/regional/state soccer communities."

Gainey was named the 2002 CAC Coach of the Year after guiding St. Mary's to its best-ever season with a 15-5 mark and a berth in the league semifinals.  He became the first-ever St. Mary's men's soccer coach to win such an honor.  Gainey also held the position of Assistant Director of Athletics & Recreation at the College.

"I really need to thank Scott and Rich Edgar for bringing me to the College and allowing me to live my dream.  I can never repay them for all they have done for my career."

"As an assistant AD and member of our management team, Herb has been a trusted colleague at the administrative level in addition to his coaching duties.  On a personal level, I am very happy for Herb as he takes on another exciting professional opportunity and steps away from the coaching profession.  As with many of us who work here, we regard the College as a special place, so I know this was an extremely difficult decision for Herb.  We all wish him nothing but the best with his professional transition and I know he will remain a strong supporter of the entire Seahawk athletic program," commented Devine.

The Mechanicsville, Maryland native originally came to the St. Mary's campus as an assistant coach for the 1998 season with one of his closest friends, former Seahawk head coach Eric Wagner.  Gainey served in that capacity for four seasons before taking over Wagner for the 2002 campaign.

In 2009, Gainey retired from youth soccer after spending 32 years developing soccer players at various levels, including youth, high school, and select club.  He was recognized as both the 2006 US Youth Soccer Association Girls Coach of the Year and the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association Donald Minnegan Girls Coach of the Year after claiming back-to-back national championships in 2005 (U-18 Girls) and 2006 (U-16 Girls).  The titles were the first national titles won by any Maryland ODP team.

Gainey will not be leaving St. Mary's right away as he will stay on through December to complete several projects for the athletic department.

A national search to find Gainey's replacement will begin January 2011.

"Herb will be completing a few projects and taking care of all the loose ends with the men's soccer program until the end of this semester, so this will clearly be a great situation for the next head coach," explained Devine.  "The Capital Athletic Conference is one of the top men's soccer leagues in all of D-III, so the challenge to compete at the highest level is there.  We will embark on a national search in the new year to fill our head men's soccer position."