March 3, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. –
Greg Dalby, a 2007 Notre Dame graduate and a two-time All-American for the Fighting Irish, has been hired as an assistant coach for the Irish men’s soccer program. Dalby spent the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for the Davidson College men’s soccer team.
Dalby has a wide-range of soccer experience both as a player and coach. He spent the last five years playing professionally both in the United States and Belgium.
“I am really excited to join the Notre Dame coaching staff and be a part of the University again,” says Dalby. “It is one of the premiere institutions in the world for academics and athletics and it’s a University that means a lot to me. I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of Coach Clark’s staff and I am eager to get working with the group of players we have on campus.”
Dalby helped guide Davidson to a combined 15-15-9 record during the 2010 and 2011 campaigns. In those two seasons, the Wildcats produced four all-Southern Conference honorees and 12 academic all-Southern Conference selections. Davidson earned the distinction of being a Capital One Academic All-America team in 2011 with a 3.13 team grade-point average.
Davidson defender Greg Macnamara was named to the 2011 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-South Region third team in addition to the Capital One Academic All-America third team. Macnamara also was a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award candidate.
The Seattle Sounders selected Davidson midfielder Alex Caskey in the third round of the 2010 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft.
Dalby also has experience coaching at the club level. He was the head coach of the Charlotte United FC Elite-Level U14 boys squad since August 2010 and was the Colorado Rapids Youth Academy coach from July 2008 to March 2010.
Following his stellar Notre Dame career, the Colorado Rapids selected Dalby in the second round (17th overall selection) of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. However, he began his professional playing career with Royal Club Sporting Charleroi in Charleroi, Belgium. He played with the team, which is a member of Belgium’s premier soccer league, from September 2007 to May 2008.
After his time in Belgium, Dalby returned to the United States to compete with the Rapids. He played two seasons in Colorado, competing in official MLS play along with Open Cup matches and international friendlies. Dalby joined the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer Leagues Second Division (USL-2) in March 2010. He was a two-time team captain of the Eagles and earned USL-2 second-team all-league honors in 2010.
Dalby, a native of Poway, Calif., also has international playing experience with Team USA. He captained the United States Under-20 National Team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships (now called Under-20 World Cup). The U.S. squad won Group D with a 2-0-1 mark before falling to Italy, 3-1, in the Round of 16.
During his playing days at Notre Dame, Dalby was a two-time team captain and a four-time monogram recipient. He started all 88 matches in which he played and tallied 10 points on four goals and two assists as a central midfielder. The 88 consecutive games played ranks second all-time at Notre Dame.
He earned first-team All-America honors from the NSCAA during his junior and senior seasons. Dalby was named the 2006 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and collected all-BIG EAST honors three times, including two first-team citations, in addition to being a two-time M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
Dalby and the Fighting Irish captured the 2003 BIG EAST tournament title and the 2004 BIG EAST regular-season championship. Notre Dame qualified for the NCAA tournament all four of his seasons and the Irish advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history during his senior campaign.
In 2006, Dalby received the Byron V. Kanaley Award, which is the most prestigious honor awarded to a Notre Dame student-athlete. It has been awarded annually since 1927 to senior monogram athletes who have been exemplary as both students and leaders. Dalby represented the Irish men’s soccer team on Notre Dame’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) from 2004-06.
Dalby, a three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star, graduated from Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters with degrees in film, television and theater and theology. He finished with a 3.241 cumulative GPA.
“Greg was a fantastic player, captain and a great role model for everybody when he was here,” says Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “I know he can bring many of those qualities here as a coach. The fact that he’s played in the pros for the last five years is a valuable asset and gives him instant credibility among the current players. He is a wonderful fit for Notre Dame as he epitomizes everything that Notre Dame stands for.”
As a senior in high school, Dalby received the 2002 Gatorade and Parade magazine High School National Player of the Year award.
Dalby replaces Chad Riley, who took the top assistant coaching position at Dartmouth College last month, on the Notre Dame staff.
Dalby is married to the former Stacey Backstrom.
–ND–