Coach

Tony Tocco

Few coaches in all of college athletics can boast a more impressive record than Rockhurst men’s soccer coach Tony Tocco. His 600 career victories ranks second among active intercollegiate coaches and third on the all-time coaching list.

"Those are nice numbers and I’m in good company, but I have been around a long time and I’ve been with a school that believes in good soccer programs," said Tocco, who has spent his entire 41 years in coaching at Rockhurst while compiling a 600-168-57 record.

The Hawks were a perennial power in the NAIA from 1973-1997 under Tocco. Rockhurst played in 17 national tournaments, advancing to the Final Four 10 times and finishing national runner-up four times in 1973, 1976, 1979 and 1997.

Tocco, who was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2007, was the winningest coach in the NAIA with 437 victories prior to the 2008 season. He was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year three times (1976, 1979 and 1986). His teams won 20 or more games eight times, including his last four teams that competed in the NAIA.

Since joining the NCAA in 1998, the Hawks have posted a 163-72-29 record and advanced to the national tournament five times (2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2011). The Hawks rose to fourth in the nation in Division II in 2008 and 2011. Rockhurst was the No. 1 seeded team in the NCAA Midwest Regional twice and won the NCAA Midwest Regional title in 2011.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) named Tocco the NCAA Division II Central Region Coach of the Year in 2002 and the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2011. He was also named National Coach of the Year for senior colleges in 1986 by the NSCCA and was a three-time NSCAA NAIA Midwest Region Coach of the Year. He was selected as the GLVC Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2011.

In addition to his coaching duties, Tocco is a full-time professor and head of the accounting department at Rockhurst University.

A 1967 graduate of St. Louis University, Tocco played on the only undefeated and untied soccer team in SLU history in 1964 and pitched in the College Baseball World Series in 1965. He also received his master’s degree and Ph.D from SLU.

Tocco and his wife Phyllis live in Fairway, Kan. They have four children: Amy, Natalie, Leonard and Charlie.

Winningest Active Intercollegiate Coaches
By Victories
1. Jay Martin (Ohio Wesleyan) 608-115-49
2. Tony Tocco (Rockhurst) 600-168-57
3. Ron Butcher (Keene State, N.H.) 578-243-71
4. Dan Gilmore (Rowan, N.J.) 537-167-57
5. Horst Richardson (Colorado College) 524-289-65

Winningest All-Time Intercollegiate Coaches
By Victories
1. Jay Martin (Ohio Wesleyan) 608-115-49
2. Joe Bean (Quinnipiac, Bridgeport, Wheaton) 607-185-61
3. Tony Tocco (Rockhurst) 600-168-57
4. C. Clifford McCrath (Wheaton, Gordon, Spring Arbor, Seattle Pacific) 597-233-95
5. Ron Butcher (Keene State, N.H.) 578-243-71

Giorgio Antongirolami, Associate Head Coach

Giorgio Antongirolami has served a key role on the Rockhurst coaching staff for the past 12 years. Born and raised in Rome, Italy, Antongirolami played soccer for Lazio's and later became involved as a coach with the Lazio's youth program. He was selected to the U16 and U17 Lazio's regional teams and played 23 games in two years at Rockhurst, despite suffering two torn ACLs. He played professionally for the Cincinnati Riverhawks during the 2002 A-League season. Antongirolami received his undergraduate and master's degrees in business from Rockhurst University. Antongirolami and his wife Josie live in Kansas City, Mo. They have one son: Luca.

Scott Phipps, Assistant Coach

Scott Phipps is in his third year with the Rockhurst coaching staff. Phipps previously was the head coach at Buena Vista University (2007-09), and assistant coach at Hastings College (2006), where he earned his Master’s degree of Teaching in Physical Education, and Iowa Central (2005). Scott holds the Premier, Advanced National and National Diplomas from the NSCAA, and is also a trainer with the Blue Valley Soccer Club. He resides in Kansas City, Mo., with his wife Candice and daughter Berlyn.