The winningest coach in Cal men’s soccer history, Kevin Grimes, announced his retirement Feb. 1 after completing 21 seasons with the program. Grimes arrived at Cal after serving as an assistant coach at Southern Methodist University. Before coming to Cal, the eventual head coach had previously played professionally for eight years.
Boasting many accolades with the blue and gold, Grimes coached the Bears to three Pac-12 titles and 13 postseason appearances, leading Cal to its first NCAA tournament in 2002 all while becoming Pac-12 Coach of the Year five times over. With a career record of 208-143-46 and a 2021 season record of 4-5-1, Grimes successfully coached the Bears through the turn of the century and a worldwide pandemic.
Outside of his success with Cal, Grimes has managed to catapult many Bears into the professional soccer sphere. In fact, 15 currently stand on professional rosters: Stefan Freu, Hector Jiménez, Nick Lima, Steven Birnbaum and several others.
As Cal men’s soccer rests and recuperates during the offseason, fans can’t help but wonder what lies in store for the Bears this upcoming soccer season, especially seeing as the sidelines will feel a little emptier without Grimes’ coaching presence.
