Along the Colonnade Generals’ Report 14
W&L
Piranian Phases into Retirement After Stellar Career
— BY BRIAN LAUBSCHER —
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or more than half of the 65 seasons that Washington and Lee has sponsored varsity men’s soccer, Rolf Piranian ’74 has been manning the pitch as a player and coach. His run with the program came to an end this past November, when the Generals fell to Randolph in the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament. Prior to the 2013 season, Piranian had announced that he would enter phased retirement after 38 seasons as head coach and an additional four years as a player. He could remain with the University for up to four years as an associate professor of physical education. Piranian graduated from W&L with honors in American history, and he was a three-sport athlete, lettering in soccer, lacrosse and wrestling. As a soccer player, he earned four letters and was named team captain as a senior. He received all-state honors twice and was an all-South selection in his final season. Following graduation, Piranian spent two years teaching history and coaching soccer in Jacksonville, Fla., Alumni
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before returning to his alma mater as head coach in 1976. Since his return, the numbers he has racked up are simply staggering. Piranian has coached 615 of the program’s 926 all-time games and led the Generals to 22 winning seasons, including 10 years with double-digit win totals—including each of his final two campaigns. One of just a handful of Division III coaches nationwide with over 300 career wins, Piranian finished with a 313-242-60 (.588) overall record, claiming nearly 68 percent of the men’s soccer victories in program history. Along the way, Piranian coached three Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship squads, including the 2000 team that set a program record for wins in going 19-2 overall and advancing to the NCAA South Regional finals. Washington and Lee advanced to the ODAC Championship game 11 times in his 38 years and he was Rolf Piranian ’74 joined W&L in 1976, fulfilling his dream of coaching at his alma mater.
named the ODAC Coach of the Year seven times. “When I played soccer at W&L as a student, I dreamed of having the opportunity to return as a coach,” said Piranian. “I am so very thankful that I had the opportunity to achieve that dream. Coaching with the coaches I have worked with and coaching many of the great individuals I had the chance to coach was a real opportunity to live the dream.”