By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech Director of Athletics Mark Wilson has announced a pair of staff changes to the Golden Eagle soccer program, with associate head coach Corey Boyd being elevated to head coach and previous head coach Steve Springthorpe shifting to the administrative side of the Tech athletics department.
"Congratulations are certainly in order for both of these great men I'm honored to call more than just my colleagues, but also my friends and family," Wilson said. "I've had the fortune of working with both Corey and Steve for more than a decade, and I couldn't be more proud of what the two of them have been able to accomplish for our program and our student-athletes. Both of them are consummate professionals and truly love what they do. I firmly believe that these changes will only further strengthen our entire department while keeping our highly competitive soccer program in the position to continue its growth into one of the best in the Ohio Valley Conference."
Boyd will officially be named the ninth head coach in program history while Springthorpe will serve the department as the executive assistant to the director of athletics.
"First of all, I want to thank our director of athletics, Mark Wilson, who has been a longtime mentor and friend of mine," Boyd expressed. "He invested in me and gave me a chance a long time ago as a young student coach at Tennessee Tech. I am happy to now have the opportunity to repay the favor for his belief in me as a person and coach. Mark is more than an athletic director; he truly values people and cares about our athletics staff, each one of our teams, and all of our student-athletes."
A Cookeville native, Boyd represents one of Tech's longest-tenured coaches, recently completing his 14th season on staff with the Golden Eagle soccer program. The veteran coach began his career in the purple and gold in 2010 as an assistant under former head coach Daniel Brizard.
He remained with the program upon Springthorpe's arrival for the 2014 campaign, continuing to serve as an assistant coach until 2017, when he was promoted to the role of associate head coach. Boyd proved instrumental to the machine that has become Tech soccer, running the team's technical training and attacking aspects of the game while working specifically with the forwards and midfielders. For the past two years, he expanded that role into leading the full team training sessions, encompassing every student-athlete on the pitch.
"I want to thank Coach Brizard for allowing me to be a part of his program and giving me my first opportunity as a volunteer assistant and graduate assistant on his staff," Boyd said. "I want to thank Steve for hiring me and giving me a chance these last 10 years in a full-time coaching role as his assistant, and also for believing in me enough to promote me to associate head coach.
"Steve and I have spent several years trying to establish this program, figuring out how to win and win through hard work, discipline, and integrity, and I cannot thank him and Mark enough. I am grateful for both of them and their guidance."
The veteran staffer was heavily involved with recruiting, video analysis, and scouting reports and was a key cog in the program's more recent success in the recruitment and development of international student-athletes.
A former standout on the pitch at Cookeville High School, Boyd was a two-year starter for Emory & Henry College as a winger and striker before playing one season with the Nashville Metros of the USL Premier Development League. He then returned to Cookeville and enrolled at Tennessee Tech, working with the soccer program as a student assistant while securing his undergraduate degree. During his time as a student assistant, he also served as the Director of Coaching at Upper Cumberland United Soccer Club in Cookeville.
"As a graduate of Tennessee Tech and a Cookeville native, I am truly honored and humbled by this opportunity to continue the tradition of success that has been built here," Boyd explained. "My grandfather, father, brother, and I all graduated from this University, so it is a special place to me with an amazing community. Tennessee Tech is home. I would also like to thank my family for all of their love and support. I have to give a special thank you to my parents for supporting me my entire life, first as a player and now as a coach. I would also like to thank my brother, Brandon, my niece, Annie, and nephews, Will and Parker."
Under the watchful eyes of both Springthorpe and Boyd, the Golden Eagle soccer program has developed into one of the more consistently successful squads in both the Ohio Valley Conference and region. Over the last two seasons, the purple and gold captured just its second and third OVC regular season titles in school history, compiling a nearly unblemished mark of 12-1-4 in league play in that span.
The past two seasons saw Boyd's knowledge of the offensive side of the game truly take a step forward, with the Golden Eagles easily boasting the top attack in the league while securing three major award winners from the OVC. Tech paced the OVC in goals, assists, shots, and points in both 2022 and 2023.
"Lastly, I want to thank our current team, staff, and each player over the years for all of the work and dedication they have put into this program," Boyd added. "They are all also family to me. I am excited to get going with the team and staff and attempt to carry on and build upon the foundation that has already been laid here."
Springthorpe ends his illustrious Tech coaching career as the program's all-time leader in wins and championships, sporting 70 total victories to his name and a 70-72-34 overall mark. He finished 44-30-21 in OVC play in his 10 years at the helm of the program.
"I am so grateful to President Oldham and Mark Wilson for allowing me the opportunity to come to Tech to help rebuild the soccer program," Springthorpe expressed. "Back in 2014, I was in search of a program and university that would match my coaching strengths and style. I had the opportunity to help rebuild a program a few years earlier in my head coaching career, and Tech was very similar to the school where I had previous successes."
In his time overseeing the direction of the soccer team, his student-athletes earned 20 All-OVC First Team honors, 11 All-OVC Second Team accolades, 12 OVC All-Newcomer Team nods, and 14 appearances on the OVC All-Tournament Team. Springthorpe was twice named OVC Coach of the Year and helped develop three-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year Kari Naerdemann, 2020-21 OVC Goalkeeper of the Year Isabelle Austin, two-time OVC Midfielder of the Year Yao Giada Zhou, and 2023 OVC Forward of the Year Katie Toney.
"I hope that in my coaching career at Tennessee Tech, I impacted the lives of our student-athletes, helped prepare them for what comes next after graduation, and left them with valuable lessons for life," Springthorpe explained. "I am so thankful to all the players that have gone through the program and helped build it into what it is today. I am also so grateful to my staff, coaches, athletic trainers, strength coaches, and support staff for all their hard work and dedication to our team over the last 10 seasons. As they say, 'It takes a village.'"
The Golden Eagles rewrote the record books under his tutelage, both on the defensive and offensive ends of the pitch. His teams also dominated in the classroom, capturing seven Large Academic Team of the Year honors in eight years from the department.
"It is of course satisfying to leave this Golden Eagle program knowing that we as a staff were able to build a conference championship-level team while I was the head coach," Springthorpe added. "Leaving the program at the height of its success allows me to feel fulfilled in my coaching career and has prepared me to make this move into the next career path in athletics administration."
In his new role with the department, Springthorpe will handle a number of administrative tasks in support of Wilson, ranging from finalizing game contracts to several financial responsibilities. In many ways, he will also serve as a liaison between Wilson, the campus, the community, and visiting programs on the campus of Tennessee Tech.
"I am excited to be heading into another phase in my professional career," Springthorpe stated. "Moving into a role working with Mark Wilson in the athletic director's office as an executive assistant to the AD allows me to continue to work within my area of strengths. I hope that my administrative skills will help the athletic department and Mark accomplish their future goals. I have always tried to work with others, help when I can, and make life easier for other co-workers in the department. Now I have the opportunity to work alongside other administrative staff on a more day-to-day basis, helping them build, maintain, and support our teams. I am excited about this new challenge in my life."
Photos by Emily Armstrong
