VCU Coach Dave Giffard Retires From College Coaching
Giffard, who led the Rams for 17 seasons, will step away after a 2-10-3 campaign and a national search for his replacement begins.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Soccer
VCU Athletics announced that men's soccer coach Dave Giffard will retire from college coaching. Rams Athletics has begun a national search for his replacement.
Why it matters
Giffard leaves after 17 seasons with a 128-120-61 record, three NCAA tournament appearances and two A-10 regular-season titles. The transition comes after a season in which VCU finished 2-10-3 and missed the eight-team Atlantic 10 tournament.
Under Giffard, the Rams earned three NCAA tournament appearances, two A-10 regular-season titles and five A-10 conference championship match appearances. Giffard was twice named A-10 coach of the year, in 2018 and 2023.
The players
Dave Giffard
Giffard is the longtime head men's soccer coach at Virginia Commonwealth University, who guided the Rams for 17 seasons and earned two A-10 coach of the year honors.
VCU Athletics
VCU Athletics is the athletics department of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, which announced the retirement and began the national search for a replacement.
Ed McLaughlin
McLaughlin is the director of athletics at Virginia Commonwealth University, to whom Giffard first disclosed that this season would be his last in college coaching.
The details
Giffard told VCU director of athletics Ed McLaughlin before this season that it would be his last in college coaching. He said he became a soccer parent and developed a sense of purpose that led him to leave coaching. Dozens of former Rams have moved onto professional careers under his leadership, including Siad Haji, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.
Timeline
Before the 2026 season: Giffard told the athletics director that his final season would be next.
2026 season: VCU finished 2-10-3 and missed the A-10 tournament.
November 2, 2026: VCU announced Giffard's retirement.
Season Trajectory
Giffard's departure follows a 2-10-3 season that left VCU out of the eight-team A-10 tournament, after a career that produced three NCAA tournament appearances and five conference title-match appearances. The next head coach will inherit a program expected to develop players while competing for A-10 championships and NCAA berths.
The change in leadership means VCU soccer fans and prospective recruits will need to watch for the new coach's hiring and early roster decisions. Players and families considering the program should monitor the search, as the incoming coach will shape the next recruiting cycle.
The takeaway
A coaching change of this magnitude resets expectations for a program, and for VCU soccer the next hire will determine whether the Rams can return to the A-10 tournament and conference title contention.
What happens next
A national search for Giffard's replacement has begun, and the next head coach will be tasked with rebuilding the program's competitive standing in the Atlantic 10.
Further reading
For more on the program's history, explore Soccer coverage across the Richmond area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Richmond Times-Dispatch.
