Giuseppe DePalo Steps Down as Head Men's Soccer Coach at NSU
DePalo finishes his stint at NSU with the most wins in program history.
By: Nova Southeastern University Athletic Communications
FORT LAUDERDALE – Nova Southeastern University's Giuseppe "Joe" DePalo has announced his resignation as the head men's soccer coach at NSU. Director of Athletics
Michael Mominey will initiate a national search for his successor that will begin immediately.
DePalo took over the men's soccer program in 1999 and spent 17 years as the head coach where he guided the program through several successful seasons, as well as the program's transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. He is the longest tenured coach in soccer program history and holds the record for all-time career wins with 155. In 17 seasons, he has taken the program to two NAIA National tournament appearances and since joining the conference in 2004, the team has made seven Sunshine State Conference tournament appearances. He finishes his stint at NSU with a .545 career winning percentage. In 2001, DePalo was named FSC (Florida Sun Conference) Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding the team to a 12-5-2 overall record.
"Joe is certainly well recognized in the South Florida community as one of the most tenured and successful collegiate soccer coaches," Mominey said. "He represented our institution for over 17 years, always with the utmost integrity and loyalty during his tenure. Joe is considered a highly respected colleague and friend to many. We all thank him for being a dedicated member of our family for so many years and wish him nothing but success in his future".
Throughout his years at the helm, DePalo has coached and mentored hundreds of student-athletes who have displayed character on and off the field. Under his guidance, the program has had eight All-Americans, 15 All-Region selections and 30 All-Conference honorees. He has also coached four conference Players of the Year in Teofilo Cubillas (2000) who is a current member of the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame, Jeremy Flint (2001), Adam Luden (2004) and Romain Onteniente (2007). He has also coached two Scholar All-Americans and his teams have been recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for the College Team Academic Award five times (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015).
"I would like to thank NSU as well as Mike Mominey for the professional guidance and leadership during my career," DePalo said. "I've been very blessed to have had the opportunity to lead the men's soccer program these last 17 years and very fortunate to have worked with so many incredible young men. Their commitment as student-athletes was exceptional. My sincere hope is that we are leaving the program with a great foundation for future success."
A 1995 graduate of Franklin Pierce with a degree in international business, DePalo helped guide the Ravens to back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament appearances in 1993 and 1994 as a student-athlete. Before coming to NSU, he spent one season as an assistant coach at current SSC provision member Embry Riddle where he helped the team capture the 1998 FSC title as the team advanced to the Southeast Regional final. He holds a USSF "A" License as well as a UEFA "B" license and earned his master's in sport management from NSU in 2005.