(UW OSHKOSH COMMUNICATIONS) – Darren Gallagher was named the third head men’s soccer coach in UW-Oshkosh history on Tuesday (May 26) and will lead the Titans back to the pitch in 2027.
Men’s soccer was reinstated as an intercollegiate sport at UW-Oshkosh during a press conference on February 16.
“It’s a great day to be a Titan!” Gallagher said. “My family and I are incredibly excited and honored to return to UW-Oshkosh. I want to sincerely thank [UW-Oshkosh Chancellor] Dr. Manohar Singh and [UW-Oshkosh Assistant Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics] Darryl Sims for the opportunity to lead this historic program into a new era. Our vision is to restore the tradition and excellence of UW-Oshkosh men’s soccer, positively impact the soccer landscape throughout Wisconsin, and establish a meaningful presence within the community.”
Gallagher, who played for 2011 UW-Oshkosh Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Toby Bares from 2001-04, comes to Oshkosh from Mount St. Joseph University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he spent the last five seasons as the head coach of the women’s soccer program.
“It is with great excitement that we welcome Darren and the men’s soccer program back to Oshkosh,” Sims said. “It was made immediately obvious during the hiring process that Darren has a deep love and appreciation for UW-Oshkosh that will prove vital to the future success of the program.”
While leading the Lions, he coached his teams to a 55-31-15 (.619) overall record and recorded at least 10 wins in all four seasons. He led Mount St. Joseph to three Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season titles (2021, 2024, 2025), one HCAC Tournament title (2024).
The HCAC’s two-time reigning coach of the year, Gallagher mentored Lions to 33 all-conference honors, two newcomer of the year awards, three offensive player of the year nods, two midfielder of the year honors and two defender of the year laurels. Three Lions also collected all-region honors from the United Soccer Coaches under Gallagher.
Gallagher’s most successful season was 2024 when he led the Lions to a 12-4-4 record, both the regular season and tournament crowns, and the program’s first NCAA Division III Championship Appearance.
Gallagher played soccer at UW-Oshkosh during a period of great success that saw the Titans post a 59-13-6 (.794) record from 2001-04 and qualify for the Division III Championship three times (2001, 2002, 2003).
The Titans went 16-3 in 2001 and 13-4-2 in 2002, bowing out in the first round of the national tournament in both seasons.
In 2003, Oshkosh went 21-1, winning its first 21 matches of the season, not losing until the national semifinal, and shutting out 16 opponents while Gallagher tallied two of his four career assists. Gallagher and the Titan defense allowed 0.36 goals per match (eight all season) while the offense scored 2.55 per contest. The Titans went 12-0 at home that year and opened the national tournament with three consecutive wins by shutout at Kolf Sports Complex. The only loss of the season was a 3-2 double overtime defeat at the hand of eventually national champion Trinity University (Texas) in Madison, N.J. The semifinal finish was the third of Oshkosh’s four during the program’s original run.
Oshkosh went 9-5-4 in Gallagher’s final season and posted 10 shutouts. Gallagher and his brother, Shaun, played together on the 2004 team. The younger Gallagher played through the 2007 season.
A defender, Gallagher played in 57 matches with 42 starts, including every match Oshkosh played in across his final two seasons.
“I witnessed firsthand the culture Coach Bares created through his mantra: Believe-Inspire-Achieve,” Gallagher said about his playing days. “He believed in his players, inspired us to pursue excellence, and together we achieved incredible things through hard work, commitment, and unity. Those values will continue to serve as the foundation of this program moving forward.
“Twenty-five years ago, I stepped onto this campus as a student-athlete, and that experience changed my life forever,” Gallagher added. “UW-Oshkosh opened doors I never imagined possible and helped to shape the person, player, and coach I am today.”
Following the conclusion of his playing career, Gallagher, a Mukwonago native, stayed in Oshkosh and assisted Bares and head women’s soccer coach Erin Coppernoll from 2007-09 while studying for his master’s degree.
After graduating with his master’s degree in 2009, Gallagher served as the head men’s soccer coach at National Junior College Athletic Association Ancilla College (Ind.) from 2012-13, assistant men’s soccer coach at NCAA Division II University of Colorado Colorado Springs from 2013-15 and in 2017, head assistant men’s and women’s soccer coach at NCAA Division II University of Illinois Springfield in 2016, and assistant men’s soccer coach and director of operations at NCAA Division I University of Cincinnati from 2019-20.
In addition to coaching experience at all three levels of the NCAA and in the NJCAA, Gallagher was the assistant general manager, director of operations and second assistant coach with the United Soccer League’s Colorado Springs Switchbacks in 2017 before joining the USL’s FC Cincinnati, then an expansion franchise, in 2018. He was the operations manager in 2018 and 2019 and was the international and domestic scouting manager in 2019.
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