University of California, Santa Barbara

2025 will mark the 27th season as the head coach for Paul Stumpf. He currently holds an all-time record of 221-200-76.

Under Stumpf's guidance, he has coached 13 All-Region players, four Big West Offensive Players of the Year, five Big West Freshman of the Year and 102 All-Conference selections.

After middle of the pack finishes in 2022 and 2023, Stumpf and the Gauchos returned to the top of the mountain. The Gauchos posted a 8-6-9 overall record and went 4-2-4 in conference finishing in a tie for third place with UC Irvine and earning the No. 3 seed in The Big West Championships. The Gauchos defeated sixth seed Cal State Fullerton in the first round before beating UC Davis in double overtime and Cal State Bakersfield in penalty kicks to earn The Big West Championship and an automatic selection to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.

During the 2024 season six Gauchos earned All-Big West recognition including Devin Greer who was named The Big West Freshman of the Year. Emily Caughey, Maddie Buckley, O'Callaghan Liu, Emma Corcoran and Sofie Rodriguez also earned recognition.

During the 2021 season, Stumpf led the Gauchos to The Big West Championships Semifinal round where they nearly fell to No. 1 seed UC Irvine. The Gauchos posted an 8-9-3 overall record and a 6-3-1 Big West record.

In the 2019 season, Stumpf recorded his 188th win as a head coach and became the program's leader in coaching victories. Stumpf became the program's all-time winner on September 9, 2010, when the Gauchos defeated William and Mary, 2-0.

In 2018, Stumpf guided the UC Santa Barbara program to a 13-7-1 overall record and a 5-2-1 mark in league play. The Gauchos finished second in the Big West standings and defeated UC Irvine in the first round of the conference tournament before falling in the championship match to Long Beach State. The 13 overall wins equaled the highest total since 2002.

The 2017 Gauchos battled injuries and finished at 6-8-5.

In 2016, Stumpf's team jumped out to a 10-1-1 record and it was the best start for the program in three decades. UC Santa Barbara finished with an 11-6-2 mark. In 2015, the Santa Rosa native earned his second Big West Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Gauchos to a 13-6-1 mark and a second-place finish in the Big West Conference. The 13 wins were the most by a Santa Barbara team since 2002.

In 2009, Stumpf guided UC Santa Barbara to its second straight Big West tournament title and NCAA Tournament. One year earlier, he led the program to its first Big West Tournament title and first NCAA Tournament bid since 1991. 2008 also marked the fifth time that Stumpf has guided the Gauchos to at least 10 wins. He has led the program to records of .500 or better in seven of the last 10 seasons, including, at one point, four straight seasons of 10 or more victories, the first time the program accomplished that feat since 1988-91.

In 2006, despite a 7-7-6 overall record, the Gauchos were back in the thick of the Big West race, tying for the regular season crown with a 5-1-1 mark. In 2007 Stumpf's crew suffered through an injury-riddled campaign, finishing 6-10-4 overall and 3-4-1 in league action.

In 2002, Stumpf's fourth year in Santa Barbara, the Gauchos went 13-5-2 overall and 6-2-1 in Big West play. Once again, UC Santa Barbara entered its final game of the season with an opportunity to win the league title. In 2003, the Gauchos went 11-6-4 overall and 5-2-2 in the Big West, good for another second-place finish. In addition, Stumpf guided UC Santa Barbara to the Big West Tournament Championship match. In 2004, after opening the season with a 1-3 record, the Gauchos went 12-3-2 the remainder of the way, including 7-1-1 in Big West play, to finish with an outstanding 13-6-2 mark. The 7-1-1 league record was good enough to earn UC Santa Barbara its first-ever Big West regular season championship. In fact, for the second year in a row, Santa Barbara advanced to the championship match at the Big West Tournament. 2004 was also the program's fifth straight season with a .500 or better mark.

In 1999, Stumpf took over a Gaucho program that had won a combined five Division I matches in the preceding two years. Immediately, he transformed the team, leading UC Santa Barbara to a respectable 8-9-1 overall mark and a 5-4 record in league, earning him Big West Coach of the Year honors. The following year, the Gauchos were 9-9-1 overall and 4-4-0 in the Big West. 2001 was truly a breakthrough year. After opening the season with a record of 0-3, UC Santa Barbara went 11-4-1 the remainder of the way to finish with its best record in nine years at 11-7-1 overall and 7-2-0 in the Big West, good for second-place.

Stumpf is responsible for the on-field coaching as well as recruiting and scheduling. His recruiting efforts have paid huge dividends in the past several years. In fact, in the past 13 seasons, Gaucho players have earned six Big West Offensive Player of the Year honors and three Freshman of the Year awards. His 2008 recruiting class was ranked 38th in the nation by Soccer Buzz Magazine, the highest ever achieved by UC Santa Barbara.

On the field, Stumpf's coaching specialty is on the defensive side where he can put his organizational skills and work ethic to good use. In addition, he oversees fundraising and alumni involvement.

As a player, Stumpf had success at the junior college level before moving on to San Diego State. Stumpf was a two-year starter at Santa Rosa Junior College, a team that was nationally ranked both years. In 1984, as a sophomore, he was selected Junior College All-American. At San Diego State, Stumpf was also a two-year starter. When he was a senior, the Aztecs finished with a 14-3-4 overall record and were ranked 17th in the nation.

Following his collegiate career, Stumpf played for the San Diego Nomads in the Western Soccer Alliance. In 1987, Stumpf and the Nomads won the Western Alliance, beating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 in the championship match.

In 1988, he suffered a career-ending injury, losing a kidney after taking a knee in the back. While Stumpf's injury was a tragedy, it was also a turning point. With his playing career ended, he opted for the next best thing, coaching.

Before arriving at UC Santa Barbara as an assistant coach in 1998, Stumpf spent two years as an assistant at Humboldt State while he completed his graduate studies in kinesiology. In addition, he spent several years as a club coach in the Santa Rosa and Sonoma areas.

Stumpf, who earned his diploma for completing an NSCAA Coaching course, is a 1989 graduate of San Diego State. He enjoys surfing, golfing, hiking, backpacking and traveling in his spare time.