Damian Clarke will return to the sidelines for Fort Lewis College.
The winningest coach in FLC women’s soccer history, who abruptly left the program before the 2014 season, will be back to lead the Skyhawks in 2018, the school announced Friday night.
Clarke had an overall record of 106-31-17 and went 67-20-11 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference during his tenure at FLC from 2007-13.
“The choice to come back to Fort Lewis College and the community of Durango, was a pretty easy choice for our family,” Clarke said in a new release. “Fort Lewis College and this town have given both Sherin and I education and experience to build a wonderful family and careers to support these elements of our lives. ... I am back to continue building this legacy of family that Fort Lewis Soccer has always been, and will continue to be.”
Clarke will replace his former assistant, Jimmy Hall, whose resignation was announced Wednesday. Hall was named the interim coach in 2014 only weeks before the start of the regular season, as Clarke departed. He was named the head coach in 2015 and won the RMAC coach of the year award.
Clarke left FLC for Midwestern State University, another NCAA Division II program in Wichita Falls, Texas. He coached MSU for four seasons and went 40-27-13. MSU won the Lone Star Conference in 2016, and the team reached the NCAA South Regional Championship twice.
At FLC and MSU, Clarke has had seven teams reach the Division II playoffs.
Clarke won two RMAC tournament titles with FLC in 2007 and 2009, and the 2010 Skyhawks won the program’s only RMAC regular-season title. In 2009, he was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Mondo Collegiate Central Region Coach of the Year and RMAC Coach of the Year, and in 2010 he repeated as the NSCAA Central Region coach of the year and was named RMAC co-coach of the year with New Mexico Highland’s Justin Wagar.
“I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that Damian Clarke has accepted our offer to return to Fort Lewis College as the head women’s soccer coach,” FLC athletic director Barney Hinkle said in the news release. “Damian and his family have deep roots in Durango, and we are very honored and excited they are coming home. I look forward to working very closely with Damian in the coming months and years to lead the Fort Lewis College Women’s Soccer program to new heights.”
Clarke played for the men’s program at FLC from 1994-95 and 1997-98. He earned a bachelor’s degree from FLC in 2004.
Clarke and his wife Sherin have one son, Taye. Sherin placed for FLC in 2000.
“Coming back to Durango was always our end game as a family, at least if we could make it happen,” Clarke said. “Of course, only being away for four years, it never seemed like it was on the immediate horizon, but life seems to never give us too much insight into what’s next, you just have to make choices.”
kschneider@durangoherald.com
