Penn State Hires Men's Soccer Coach With a National Title

Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft, who has been through a two-month search whirlwind, on Thursday announced his second significant hire of December. Penn State hired Vermont men’s soccer coach Rob Dow, who led the Catamounts to the 2024 NCAA championship.

Dow, who spent nine seasons at Vermont, holds the nation’s ninth-best win percentage among active coaches and led the team on an epic 2024 run to its first national championship in men’s soccer. Dow replaces Jeff Cook, who resigned in November after eight seasons with Penn State.

Penn State announced Dow’s hiring just four days after introducing Matt Campbell as its new head football coach.

“We are excited to welcome Rob Dow as the new head coach of Penn State men’s soccer,” Kraft said in a statement. “Rob brings a proven record of success and a clear vision for the future of our program. His commitment to developing student-athletes and fostering a culture of excellence aligns perfectly with Penn State’s values. We look forward to the impact he will make on and off the field.”

During his time at Vermont, Dow compiled a 129-41-21 record, including a 30-3-11 mark over the past two seasons, when he and his staff won back-to-back America East Coaching Staff of the Year awards.

Dow spearheaded a program that reached five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and won four America East regular-season titles and three conference tournaments. He is the only America East head coach to win a national title and earn the No. 1 overall seed in an NCAA Tournament in 2024.

Penn State will be the fifth destination for Dow in his coaching career. His previous stops were at Mayville State University (assistant coach), Dean College and Southern New Hampshire (assistant coach and associate head coach).

“I am extremely honored to become the 13th head men’s soccer coach at Penn State University,” Dow said in a statement. “I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Patrick Kraft, [deputy athletic director] Adam Miller, and the rest of the search committee for their faith in me to lead the next generation of Nittany Lions.

“I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to not only honor the program’s rich history, but to be a part of an athletic department that is focused on developing world-class student-athletes on and off the field while pursuing success at the highest levels. I am excited to get to work writing the next chapter of PSU men’s soccer by getting back to chasing Big Ten titles and national championships.”

Vermont head coach Rob Dow celebrates after NCAA Tournament championship win win over Marshall. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Dow was strong in development during his tenure with the Catamounts. He coached 55 all-conference honorees and seven major-conference award-winners through his nine seasons with the program.

In the historic 2024 run, Dow led Vermont to victories over No. 7 Hofstra, No. 3 Denver and No. 2 Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament. Vermont defeated No. 13 Marshall 2-1 to win the College Cup.

Prior to becoming Vermont’s head coach, Dow served as an assistant coach from 2012-14 with the Catamounts. Dow has been with successful teams beyond Vermont. Southern New Hampshire went 59-14-13 during Dow’s four years on staff, making the NCAA Tournament each year.

In his first head coaching job, Dow went 18-11-4 at Dean (Mass.) College in two seasons, leading the team to a playoff berth. Before starting his coaching career, Dow played professionally in Canada and the U.S.

Dow graduated from Maine, where he led the Black Bears in scoring twice. He earned a master’s from North Dakota State.

"Coaching at Vermont the last 14 years has been one of the greatest honors of my life," Dow said in a statement from the university. "To my players, coaches, staffers and of course Catamount Country that filled Virtue Field every game this year, thank you from the bottom of my heart. My family and I will always cherish our time in Vermont and the memories we made together."

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