GREENVILLE, S.C. - Trinity International head soccer coach Patrick Gilliam will be inducted as part of the class of 2016, into the NCCAA Hall of Fame, announced the National Christian College Athletic Association on Tuesday.

NCCAA Hall of Fame Class of 2016

Gilliam will lead the Trinity women's soccer program for his 20th season next fall, and has tallied a career record of 289-118-21(.700), the second-highest total among active coaches in the NAIA. The Trojans have won two NCCAA national titles under his watch, in 1998 and again in 2004. More recently, Gilliam has guided TIU to three straight NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship appearances, and two CCAC Tournament championships in the last three years.

"I am incredibly humbled by this news and so appreciative to the NCCAA," says Gilliam. "Both as a student athlete and now as a coach, I have worked very closely with this organization for many years now, and have a tremendous respect and appreciation for their leaders, philosophy, and vision for the integration of faith and sport. When I heard from [NCCAA Executive Director] Dan Wood last week, I was not only shocked, but immediately overwhelmed by emotion and the thought of all the people along the way; my former coaches, past players, mentors and administrators, and especially my wife and children, who were such an enormous part of someone like myself ever even being considered for such an honor."

The 2004 NCCAA National Coach of the Year and a four-time NCCAA North Central Region Coach of the Year, Gilliam has seen his players enjoy success on and off the pitch over his 19 seasons on the sidelines. During that time, the TIU program has produced two NCCAA National Player of the Year, three CCAC Players of the Year, one NCCAA North-Central Region Player of the Year, one NCCAA Regional Freshman of the Year, 15 NCCAA All-Americans, 23 NAIA All-Americans, 44 CCAC All-Conference honors, 11 NCCAA All-Region players, and 15 NAIA All-Region awards. The Trojans have excelled just as much in the classroom, earning 37 CCAC All-Academic Team awards, 14 NCCAA Scholar-Athlete, and 52 NAIA Scholar-Athlete nods.

"Patrick Gilliam is a simple example of a teacher, mentor, and coach," commented Wood, on the decision to include Gilliam in the hall's class of 2016. "His heart to improve every aspect of the lives of his players is rare. Coupled with his competitive success, he offers his players the best of spiritual development and high-level play. I best describe my respect for him by stating that if my son or daughter opted to play college soccer, my utmost desire would be that they play for Patrick."

Even with all the accolades his program has earned, the investment made on his players has become Gilliam's trademark. "What really stands out about Patrick, and makes him so deserving of being inducted into the NCCAA Hall of Fame is not his impressive record as a coach," said TIU assistant coach Kelvin Tohme, who has worked with Gilliam for all 19 seasons at Trinity. "It's the incredible impact he has made in the lives of the student-athletes he has coached, taught and mentored."

That sentiment has been echoed by alumni of Gilliam's programs over the years. "From the moment I spoke to him on the phone as a recruit, I knew that this team was about much more than winning soccer games," said Meghan (Cox) Collins, a member of the 1998 NCCAA national championship team. More recent players, like 2015 graduate Missy Loretto, agree. "As I went through the recruiting process, I was captivated by the opportunity to play soccer for a man who saw soccer as much more than a game. He saw soccer as a stepping stone for life and for eternal impact."

Gilliam will officially be inducted into the NCCAA Hall of Fame during the NCCAA Annual Convention, on Thursday, June 2 on the campus of Boyce College in Louisville, Ky.