Pontiac, MI (February 20, 2009) -- It only took fourteen years and three attempts, but Bucks Chairman/CEO Dan Duggan finally landed long time Oakland University head coach Gary Parson as the Michigan Bucks Director of Coaching. Parsons recently retired from his NCAA coaching duties after 28 years at OU and is preparing for his next coaching role, which many believe will be his biggest challenge to date.
The Michigan Bucks have been the most successful club in the United Soccer League’s (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) over the past thirteen years. Much of that success is due to the players and scouting that Parsons has shared with the Bucks each summer through his top talented Oakland players. This is not the first time Duggan and Parsons have discussed the coaching merger, as Duggan slated Parsons to be the original Bucks head coach for the inaugural season in 1996. Since Gary was a college coach at the time, the NCAA prohibited him from taking on coaching the team and allowing any of his Oakland players to participate at the same time. In the early years, Duggan and Parsons always saw more value in the players than the coach to lead the team during the summer.
In 2006, Parsons was to become the Bucks general manager; a role that was originally approved by the college hierarchy and quickly rescinded. After two false starts, Parsons finally made the decision it was time to leave the ranks of college soccer to move on to work with Duggan and the Bucks to help elevate the high level of talent within the system to play pro soccer in the United States and abroad. Much of the local soccer community was surprised at the timing of the announcement, as word on the street had Parsons staying at OU for a few more seasons.
“I always said that I wanted to go out on my terms, not someone else’s,” said Parsons from the Bucks office at Ultimate Soccer Arenas. “The two most important factors in the timing of my decision were to both leave the program on a high note and in good hands. Following last year’s success and leaving the team to (Oakland assistant) Eric Pogue, this is as good a time as any.”
Pogue, the former standout goalkeeper for the Bucks has been at Oakland for the past seven years and is also excited about his first opportunity to step up as an NCAA Division 1 head coach.
Parson’s role with the Bucks will prove to be one of the most important additions to the organization this year as the team closes in on partnerships with European soccer teams. Duggan has been working for the past five years with teams in England, Portugal and Spain to develop a relationship that will not only bring financial assistance to the PDL club, but also an exchange of players in both directions.
"The work we have done to secure a major football partner in Europe is at the point where our club has to make some major decisions. What makes a European partnership work is to have the ability for several of our players to travel and train with clubs in Europe AND for our staff to be in Europe to scout young talent that can come over to the States to attend college and play for the Bucks," said Duggan.
"To finalize the deal, I needed to have the talent scout who could take the Bucks on trial and interview the prospects that we will bring back to compete for scholarships at our local universities. Gary is without a doubt one of the best people I have met in the game to scout, analyze and breakdown talent. Having him as an advisor working closely with me the past thirteen years, leaves me with little doubt he’s the man to not only bring quality talent to the US, but also to take quality talent to Europe. The timing may have surprised people close to Gary, but it actually had less to do with him wanting to leave Oakland and more to do with wanting to be a part of the exciting next step we are about to forge ahead with. I’m just glad I don’t have to give him a signing bonus for every time he has tried to join the Bucks,” laughed Duggan.
Parson’s will assist Bucks fourth year head coach Dan Fitzgerald, a long time friend and former player at Oakland, this spring as the Bucks open their fourteenth PDL season on May 16. Both coaches continue to whittle away at the Bucks 2009 roster, which started with 150 potential players at the beginning of the year and is now down to a manageable 40 players. The club has announced it will be holding its only formal open tryouts on Saturday, May 2 at Ultimate Soccer Arenas. Individuals interested in trying out can find information by clicking here.
For further information about the Michigan Bucks, please visit our web site at www.buckssoccer.com.
