Tom Stone
	Position: Head Coach Experience: Fifth Season Alma Mater: Duke '87

Known nationally first as a player, and now as a coach, Tom Stone is in his fifth season as Texas Tech's head coach, after quickly making the Red Raiders relevant again in the always-tough Big 12 Conference.

In only his four seasons, Stone has spearheaded Tech's resurgence in the Big 12 as he led the Red Raiders to the conference tournament in all three seasons after a seven-year drought that dated back to 1999. The Tech soccer program had not previously qualified for the Big 12 Championship in three-consecutive seasons in school history.

Following his hiring in May 2007, Stone was left with two months to evaluate his new program and prepare for the season that was quickly approaching. The only problem, however, was that Stone was unable to evaluate his new players, or let alone get to know them, until their August reporting date.

Despite the obstacles, the Red Raiders won four out of five conference matches down the stretch to finish tied for fifth in the Big 12, six spots higher than Tech was slotted in the preseason conference poll.

In their first Big 12 Championship appearance since 1999, the Red Raiders would nearly top 21st-ranked Missouri in the first round, but the Tigers would net the winning goal in the second overtime to squash Tech's chance of its first-ever postseason win.

With a partial recruiting class and a group of experienced players returning for Stone's second season in 2008, the Red Raiders appeared to be heading to another successful season. But due to numerous injuries that depleted the Tech roster, Stone and staff would be looking to overcome obstacles once again.

The Red Raiders would finish eighth in the Big 12 and advance to the Big 12 Championship once again, where they would fall to regular-season champion Oklahoma State in the opening round. Under Stone's guidance, Taylor Lytle would be named to the Big 12 second and all-newcomer teams, while Tina Rincon would set the school record for most career shutouts.

The 2010 season saw Tech have the most successful season in the last 14 years as the Red Raiders posted an 11-8-1 record, their first winning season since 1996, and advanced to their fourth-straight Big 12 Championship appearance. Tech was also close to being chosen for the NCAA Championship, but was cut short of qualifying for the 64-team selection.

Tech had many "firsts" during 2010 as it received votes in the top 25 poll for the first time, along with the best start in school history at 5-0 against Division I opponents. To go along with those five wins was five shutouts. The five shutouts was the first time in the program's history that a Tech team began the season with five-consecutive shutouts. The Red Raiders finished the year with a school-record 10 shutouts.

At the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Red Raiders reaped Big 12 honors as freshman Jessica Fuston was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Year. Fuston became the first Red Raider to win one of the conference's top awards. Fuston and junior Whitney Sharpe both received All-Big 12 second team honors as well as being named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team.

With a full recruiting class on campus that regularly fielded around seven freshmen in the starting lineup, the Red Raiders finished the 2009 campaign 8-8-4, marking the first time since 1996 that a Tech team had a .500 or better overall record.

Besides the win-loss record, the 2009 squad was also one of Tech's most competitive squads as well, with seven of eight losses coming by only a goal. The Red Raiders picked up quality road wins at TCU, UTEP, and a neutral-site contest against Vanderbilt, while earning a conference point with a 0-0 tie at nationally-ranked Texas A&M, snapping a nine-match losing streak to the Aggies. The point against the Aggies led the Red Raiders back to the Big 12 Championship for the third-consecutive season, where Tech's season eventually ended off penalty kicks against Kansas.

Tech's rise was recognized like never before, however, as four players were honored to an All-Big 12 postseason team, led by Taylor Lytle, who became only the school's second player all-time to be named to the first team after a strong sophomore campaign where she broke the school's single-game and single-season assist records. Freshmen Dawn Ward, Tiffini Smith and Morgan Johnson were also named to the all-newcomer, which gave Tech more freshmen honored than any other Big 12 program. With their success on the field, Lytle and Smith were selected to respective U.S. National Teams following the season as Lytle joined the Under-23 squad and Smith traveled to California and Spain with the U-18 program.

Possibly the greatest indicator of Tech's new-found fame was the dramatic grown in attendance at the John Walker Soccer Complex. The two-year-old complex's attendance record was shattered three times throughout the 2009 season, highlighted by the 1,728 fans for the season finale against Oklahoma State that also snapped the previous school record.

During his tenure, Stone has also been active on the national level as he was hired in 2008 as the assistant coach for the U.S. U-20 National Team, a position he remain in today. Serving under head coach Tony DiCicco, the 2008 team captured the FIFA World Championship. The 2010 squad, meanwhile, has already won the CONCACAF Championship and will train throughout the summer before attending the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Germany at the end of July. On top of his national team duties, Stone is also currently serving as the head coach of the southern region's U-19 Olympic Development team.

Prior to his arrival at Tech, Stone spent one season helping lead Clemson as an assistant coach to the NCAA Final Eight where the Tigers eventually ended their season 11-8-5 overall, which was the best season in Clemson school history.

Before beginning his career on the collegiate level, some of Stone's greatest accomplishments may have come from his time leading the Atlanta Beat of the Women's United Soccer Association during all three years of its existence. Being the first coach hired when the league formed in 2001, Stone proved his worth quickly, claiming the inaugural WUSA Presidents Cup Championship and advancing to the Founders Cup title match. The Beat also advanced to the title match in the league's final season. In his three seasons with the Beat, Stone finished with the highest winning percentage among WUSA coaches, finishing 13 games over .500, while also being named an all-star coach twice. He was also the only league coach to advance his team to the playoffs in all three seasons.

When the WUSA ceased operations in 2003, Stone was named the technical director of the Top Hat Soccer Club in Atlanta, which is one of the top girls youth programs in the southern region. While with Top Hat, Stone was primarily involved in all areas of club and player development and the College Prep Program that prepares top players for college soccer opportunities. He was also the head coach for the 2007 Gold Team that won the Georgia State Championship in 2004 and the Southern Regional Premier League in 2005, while also serving as the head coach of the Gwinnett Country club team that won the regional championship and qualified for the national championship match in 2005.

Before beginning his professional career, Stone was the founding director of coaching at the Colorado Rush Soccer Club from 1991 to 2000. Under Stone's direction, the Rush would go on to win 35 state cups along with 12 regional championships and seven national championships, becoming arguably the most successful youth girls program in the U.S. from 1997 to 2000. Stone has also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Duke in 1997 and the University of Denver in 1996.

As a player, Stone may be most remembered for his game-winning goal with Duke against Akron in the 1986 National Championship match, where the Blue Devils would take the NCAA title, winning 1-0.

In his four-year career at Duke, Stone was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection three times, while also setting the Duke record for the most NCAA Tournament goals in a career and game-winners in a single season. Stone was also a team captain on the 1987 squad and finished among the top 10 on the school's career points and goals charts.

Following his career as a Blue Devil, Stone played professionally for Le Havre FC in France and the Washington Stars and Colorado Foxes of the APSL.

A native of Irving, Texas, Stone was a three-year member of the U.S. Youth National Team and a two-time Parade All-American while attending MacArthur High School.

When not coaching, Stone has served as an analyst for various national television networks, covering everything from the NCAA College Cup to the World Cup. He has worked as the lead soccer analyst for both CSTV and Fox Sports, while also joining ESPN for its coverage of the 2003 Women's World Cup. Stone has also written guest columns for various soccer websites.

Stone holds a USSF "A" License. He and his wife, Lindsey, currently reside in Lubbock with their four-year-old son, Leyton, and two-year-old daughter, Lily.

To contact Coach Stone, email him at tom.stone@ttu.edu or call him at (806) 281-7684.