Patrick Gilliam is entering his 19th season at the helm of the Trinity women’s soccer program in 2015, and will look to continue the success the team has seen dating back to his first season in 1997. Gilliam is currently the third-winningest active coach in the NAIA, with a career record of 276-113-18 (.700). Coach Gilliam has led the Trojans program to a pair of NCCAA national championships, taking the title in 1998, and again in 2004. TIU have also earned five NAIA national tournament appearances, winning three straight regional titles from 1999-2001. The Trojans have also won three CCAC regular season and four CCAC Tournament titles under Gilliam’s watch.
Most recently, Gilliam helped lead the Trojans to back-to-back appearances in the NAIA Tournament in 2013 and 2014. TIU also reached the final of the CCAC Tournament for the second straight year in 2014, coming up just short in their title defense. Junior striker Samantha Yasatan became the first player to be named an NAIA All-American since 1999, after setting the TIU single-season record for goals with 29. Senior Missy Loretto was also honored as the first Trojan student-athlete to be named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America Team for her successes both athletically and academically.
The Trojans earned their fourth CCAC Tournament championship in 2013, as Trinity upset three teams with better records on their home fields to claim the title. TIU returned to the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship for the first time since 2001, and finished the season ranked No. 25 in the final NAIA Coaches Poll. Yasatan earned an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention nod as a sophomore.
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 (most recently Yasatan in 2014), one NCCAA North-Central Region Player of the Year, one NCCAA Regional Freshman of the Year, 23 NAIA All-Americans, 15 NCCAA 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.
In 2014, GIlliam was also honored as the NCCAA North Central Region Coach of the Year for the third time. During his time at TIU, Gilliam has earned a NCCAA National Coach of the Year (2004), CCAC Coach of the Year (1999), and NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year (1999) awards. In December 2014, Gilliam was selected as the recepient of the NCCAA Frank Jewell Award. The award is given in conjunction with the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA); during his time with the NCCAA, Jewell worked as the liason to the NISOA for over 20 years.
His team has also won the past four CCAC Karl Boeck Conference Champions of Character awards, given to the team each season that displays the best sportsmanship in the CCAC. The Trinity women's soccer program has now tallied six consecutive seasons without earning a single red card, one of just two teams in the CCAC to currently hold six-year streaks without having a red card issued.
Gilliam is a 1991 graduate of Judson College, where he was a four-year member of the Judson men's soccer team, earning all-conference honors as a junior, and playing on two NCCAA National Tournament qualifiers. Originally a native of St. Louis, Missouri, Gilliam now resides in Wheeling with his wife, Holly and their two children: Ian, who is a sophomore on the Trojans’ baseball team this season, and Emma (15).
