Tom Stone - Head Coach - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Tom Stone

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Head Coach
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The winningest coach in program history, Tom Stone enters his 18th season as the head soccer coach at Texas Tech in 2024, as Stone enters the campaign as the reigning Big 12 Coach of the Year.

In his 17 seasons donning the Scarlett and Black, Stone has amassed a 197-100-45 record and is the only head coach to lead the Red Raiders to an NCAA tournament appearance.

A native of Dallas, Stone has led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in eight of his 17 seasons including seven Round of 32 appearances and a pair of Round of 16 appearances. Stone guided the Red Raiders to new heights, as Tech Soccer ended the season ranked at No. 9 overall, marking the first time in program history that the Red Raiders concluded the season inside the top-10 of the United Soccer Coaches Association poll (USC).

In 2023, the Red Raiders hosted the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, defeating FGCU and Princeton before falling to 22-time national champion UNC in the Round of 16. In addition to the program’s first ever home Round of 16 match and the first regular season Big 12 title, Stone also helped guide the Red Raiders to the first ever perfect home regular season (10-0-0) in the history of the John Walker Soccer Complex. Including the postseason, Tech went an outstanding 11-1-1 at Walker in 2023, with the lone loss coming against the nationally-ranked Tar Heels.

After the successful regular season that included the Big 12 title and a trip to the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship, the Red Raiders were tabbed a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and played host to FGCU (1-0), Princeton (0-0, 5-4 PKs) and UNC (0-1).

The Red Raiders shattered the all-time attendance mark for the John Walker Soccer Complex twice during the postseason run as 2346 fans packed the Walker for the PK victory over Princeton before an announced crowd of 2558 watched Tech’s Round of 16 contest against UNC.

Stone helped mentor three other end of season award winners as goalkeeper Madison White, defender Hannah Anderson and freshman Sam Courtwright all took home their respective (Goalkeeper of the Year, Defender of the Year and Freshman of the Year) yearly award from the Big 12 Conference.

In addition to Anderson, Courtwright and White’s yearly honor, the trio were three of Tech’s league-leading five First Team All-Big 12 selections (Anderson, Macy Blackburn, Courtwright, White and Ashleigh Williams).

Following the postseason run to the Round of 16, the accolades kept rolling in for Stone and the Red Raiders as Tech earned four All-America selections (most in program history) and had a pair of First Team All-Americans (Anderson and White) for the first time in Tech Soccer’s history. Anderson and White were joined on the three All-America teams by Blackburn and Courtwright who were also named Third Team All-Americans. Courtwright became the first true-freshman to earn All-America honors in Tech history and was one of just two freshmen to earn All-America honors.

In the end, a nations-leading five Red Raiders earned First Team All-Region honors by the United Soccer Coaches Association (Anderson, Blackburn, Courtwright, White and Williams).

Sporting one of the deepest and strongest rosters in the country, the successes were not just limited to award and accolades, as the Red Raiders concluded one of the most dominate regular season runs in program history. Climbing as high as No. 4 in the country, Stone helped guide a Red Raider attack that scored 45 goals and recorded a program record 61 assists in just 23 matches.

Closing the regular season as one of four unbeatens in the country (Florida State, South Alabama, Stanford and Tech), the Red Raiders trailed just four times all season including just twice the in 18 game regular season (at No. 6 BYU and at UCF). Closing the season with a goal differential of +34, the Red Raiders also boasted one of the best defensive units in the country, as goalkeeper Madison White and the Tech backline anchored by Hannah Anderson allowed just 11 goals for the season (0.48 per game) and recorded 13 total clean sheets, the second-most in the nation.

Under his tutelage, multiple Red Raiders had career years, highlighted by Anderson, Blackburn, Vanderbilt transfer Alex Kerr, White and Williams.

One of the best center backs in the nation, Anderson set career highs in goals (5), points (12), games started (23), minutes played (2041) and game winning goals (3). The captain closed her Tech career by starting 96 consecutive games.

Another career year was had by Kerr, who came to Tech having scored just 12 career goals in over 60 career games played. Having never scored more than six goals in a season, Kerr exploded to the tune of 11 goals and five assists recording a career-best 27 points, one off her career total of 28 heading into 2022.

Kerr’s partner up top, Williams, also had the strongest year of her career, in 2023, as the Allen native led the Red Raiders in three of the five major categories: goals (14), points (34) and shots on goal (28). Williams’ 14 goals ended up being tied for 12th-most in the nation while she also nearly doubled her career goals and points marks. Entering the season with just one career assists in 39 games, Williams tallied in six in 2023.

Another program record nearly fell in 2023, as defender Macy Blackburn also tallied the best season of her young career before missing the final eight games due to a season-ending injury. Blackburn tallied 11 total assists for Tech in 2023, finishing just one assist shy of tying the program record for most assists in a single season. Despite missing the final eight games, Blackburn earned First Team All-Big 12 honors, First Team All-Region honors and was a Third Team All-America selection.

With the help of new assistant coach Blair Quinn, Stone also helped goalkeeper Madison White record a career-year in 2023, as the goalie finished inside the top-15 nationally in goals-against-average, shutouts and save percentage. The all-time leader in shutouts in program history, White allowed just one goal in three NCAA Tournament matches, including a pair of shutouts in the victories over FGCU and Princeton in the first and second rounds. White closed the season ranked second in the nation in clean sheets (13) in 2023, and along with Anderson became the first set of Red Raider teammates to be named a Semifinalist for the prestigious Mac Hermann Award, the annual National Player of the Year that is awarded each January. Tech joined College Cup participant BYU and eventually national champion Florida State as the lone two programs to place multiple players as Semifinalists for the Hermann Award.

Tech’s 16 total victories were tied for second-most in program history and were the most wins in a season sicne 2014 when Tech went 16-4-2 and also advanced to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders hosted the Second and Third Rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, and Red Raider Nation showed out to the tune of three of the largest five crowds in program history. In fact, both Tech’s Second and Third Round matches against Princeton (2346) and UNC (2558) set new facility records just 36 hours apart. The previous attendance record of 2300 stood for over 12 seasons and dated back to Oct. of 2011. Tech finished the Second Round second in the country in both attendance (2346) and percent capacity (117).

The fourth head coach in school history and the all-time winningest head coach in program history, Stone has transformed the Red Raiders into one of the top programs not only in the Big 12 Conference, but nationally as well as Texas Tech has been ranked in the top 25 or received votes during eight of the last 10 seasons.

In his 17 seasons with the Red Raiders, Stone has amassed a 196-101-49 record and is the only head coach to lead the Red Raiders to an NCAA tournament appearance.

During the 2022 campaign, Stone led his Red Raider squad to the 100th all-time victory at the John Walker Soccer Complex and a second-place finish in the Big 12 regular season, where they only fell to the eventual league champions, Texas. The team’s 18 points inside league action was the most points collected since 2019.

Texas Tech earned four all-conference nods – including All-Big 12 First Team selection Hannah Anderson. Madison White and Ashleigh Williams both landed on the season team while Kyle Bahr was tabbed to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Under Stone’s direction, Williams finished the season tied for the most goals inside league action with six.

In 2021, Stone coached Kirsten Davis to become one of the most prominent names in Red Raider Soccer history. Davis, the 2021 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, tallied 14 goals (sixth highest in the country) to go along with six assists in her final season with the Red Raiders. More than half her shots (76) came on target (41) as she was second on the team with three game-winning goals, starting all 19 matches she appeared in. She was drafted in the first round as the No. 13 pick by Racing Louisville FC.

A two-time All-American striker donning the Red and Black from 2017-21, Davis is second all-time in points (112), goals (45), and game-winners (16). Meanwhile, she is four all-time in assists with 22.

In 2019, Tech posted 15 wins, the third-most in school history. The Red Raiders finished the season just one point shy of their first-ever Big 12 regular season title. They wound up in their fifth NCAA Second Round, a huge feat for a program that had never been to the big dance prior to 2012.

In 2018, Tech posted a program-best 4-1-1 record against top-25 opponents, including a perfect 3-0 mark when playing them at home. The Red Raiders shut out 14 opponents in 2018, good for second-best in the country. The team advanced into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they took No. 12 Virginia to penalties.

Stone's group in 2017 put together its eighth-straight nine-win season after going 9-7-3. Stone's squad racked up 25 goals throughout the year, while posting seven shutout victories for the first time since 2015.

The 2016 season saw the Red Raiders earn their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid behind a 9-9-2 record. The Red Raiders traveled to Salt Lake City for its opening round contest, battling in a double overtime bout against Utah.

In 2015, The Red Raiders put together another banner year that saw Texas Tech finish 14-4-5 overall. The Red Raiders topped Kansas, 1-0, in the Big 12 Championship to claim the program's first Conference Title.

Texas Tech once again hosted the first round of the NCAA Championship in 2015, topping North Texas 1-0 at the John Walker Soccer Complex. The win improved the Red Raiders to 4-0 all-time when hosting a first-round match at home.

An undefeated conference campaign in 2013 nearly earned the Red Raiders their first Big 12 title, but a pair of draws left Texas Tech just a point back of eventual regular season champion West Virginia. The Red Raiders closed the regular season in second place after delivering shutout victories over both No. 9 West Virginia and in-state rival Texas.

The 2-0 victory over West Virginia marked Texas Tech's first ever over a top-10 team, giving the Mountaineers their first conference loss since joining the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season. It was one of a school-record 17 shutouts during the 2013 season alone for the Red Raiders, who closed the year ranked second nationally with a .739 shutout percentage.

During his eight-year tenure, Stone has steadily built the program with a foundation of strong recruiting, annually bringing some of the top talent in the country to Lubbock. Stone has guided to Red Raiders to nine-consecutive Big 12 Championship appearances, sending Texas Tech back to the conference tournament in just his first season (2007) for the first time since 1999.

Not only has Stone built Texas Tech into a power on the field, but he has created an identity for the entire program - one that the Lubbock community has embraced. On fall Friday nights, thousands of fans flock to the John Walker Soccer Complex - one of the premier soccer facilities in the country.

That embrace of the Texas Tech soccer program was never more evident than the 2011 season where a new standard for attendance was set. A total of 14,657 fans attended 11 home matches during the 2011 season to help Texas Tech rank No. 13 in the nation for average home attendance. Twice during the campaign the Red Raiders broke single-game attendance marks with an announced crowd of 2,176 attending the final showdown with Texas A&M on Oct. 7, while 2,228 fans watched the Red Raiders take on Kansas on Oct. 14.
During his tenure, Stone has also been active on the national level as he was hired in 2008 to be the assistant coach for the U.S. U-20 National Team. Serving under head coach Tony DiCicco, the 2008 team captured the FIFA World Championship. The 2010 squad, meanwhile, won the CONCACAF Championship before eventually heading to the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Germany. On top of his national team duties, Stone has also served as the head coach of the southern region's U-19 Olympic Development team.

Stone rejoined the national team program as he was one of two collegiate coaches named as an advance scout for the 2015 FIFA World Cup held in Canada. Stone's responsibilities included traveling to several international tournaments to scout potential opponents for the Senior U.S. National Team that went on to win its third World Cup with a 5-2 victory over Japan in the championship match. It was the first time the U.S. had captured the World Cup title since 1999. Prior to his arrival at Texas Tech, Stone spent one season as an assistant coach at Clemson where he helped lead the Tigers to the NCAA Elite Eight. Clemson ended its season 11-8-5 overall which was the best season in school history at the time.

Before beginning his career on the collegiate level, some of Stone's greatest accomplishments may have come from his time leading the Atlanta Beat of the Women's United Soccer Association during all three years of its existence. Being the first coach hired when the league formed in 2001, Stone proved his worth quickly, claiming the inaugural WUSA Presidents Cup Championship and advancing to the Founders Cup title match.

In his three seasons with the Beat, Stone finished with the highest winning percentage among WUSA coaches, finishing 13 games over .500, while also being named an all-star coach twice. He was also the only league coach to advance his team to the playoffs in all three seasons.

When the WUSA ceased operations in 2003, Stone was named the technical director of the Top Hat Soccer Club in Atlanta, one of the top girls youth programs in the southern region. While with Top Hat, Stone was primarily involved in all areas of club and player development and the College Prep Program that prepares top players for college soccer opportunities. He was the head coach for the 2007 Gold Team that won the Georgia State Championship in 2004 and the Southern Regional Premier League in 2005, while also serving as the head coach of the Gwinnett Country Club team that won the regional championship and qualified for the national championship match in 2005.

Prior to beginning his professional career, Stone was the founding director of coaching at the Colorado Rush Soccer Club from 1991 to 2000. Under Stone's direction, the Rush would go on to win 35 state cups along with 12 regional championships and seven national championships, becoming arguably the most successful youth girls program in the U.S. from 1997-2000. Stone has also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Duke in 1997 and the University of Denver in 1996.

As a player, Stone may be most remembered for his game-winning goal in the 1986 National Championship match that helped Duke win its only NCAA title with a 1-0 victory. Stone, just a junior at the time, scored the match's lone goal, finding the open net in the 46th minute for his 16th goal of the season. He was later named the Offensive Most Valuable Player for the match.

In his four-year career at Duke, Stone was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection three times, while also setting the Duke record for most NCAA Tournament goals in a career and game-winners in a single season. Stone was also a team captain on the 1987 squad and still remains among the top 10 on the school's career points chart.

Following his career as a Blue Devil, Stone played professionally for Le Havre FC in France and the Washington Stars and Colorado Foxes of the APSL. A native of Irving, Texas, Stone was a three-year member of the U.S. Youth National Team and a two-time Parade All-American while attending MacArthur High School.

When not coaching, Stone has served as an analyst for various national television networks, covering everything from the NCAA College Cup to the FIFA World Cup. He has worked as the lead soccer analyst for both CSTV and Fox Sports, while also joining ESPN for its coverage of the 2003 Women's World Cup.

Stone has also written guest columns for various soccer websites. Stone and his wife, Lindsey, currently reside in Lubbock with their sons, Leyton and Landry, and daughter, Lily.