Todd Yelton

Hometown: Piney Flats, Tenn. Last College: King College, 1991 Position: Head Coach

Experience: 10th Season E-mail: atyelton@samford.edu

Head Coach Todd Yelton has propelled the Bulldogs to national prominence in nine years at the helm of the Samford University soccer team.

Head Coach Todd Yelton

The winningest coach in Samford soccer history, Yelton has led his team to four regular-season conference titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and a conference tournament championship.

Last year, despite a number of season-ending injuries to key players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field, Yelton helped guide the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the Southern Conference and a trip to the championship match of the 2010 SoCon Tournament. Samford concluded the season with a 13-6-3 overall record and a stellar 8-2-1 mark against conference opponents. In the SoCon Tournament final, Yelton's squad fell just short of another trip to the NCAA Tournament in a hard-fought 1-0 loss to No. 14-ranked UNC Greensboro.

In 2009, Yelton also led the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the talent-laden SoCon, as well as semifinal-round appearance in the league's postseason tournament for a second straight year. Not only did Samford excel in SoCon play, but the Bulldogs registered a school-record 12-1-5 overall record. Their only loss in 2009 was a hard-fought 1-0 decision against College of Charleston.

Samford opened the 2009 season with a 0-0 draw against No. 25-ranked Auburn and then compiled a six-match winning streak, including a historic 3-0 victory over in-state rival Alabama.

In 2008, Samford's inaugural season as a member of the SoCon, the Bulldogs compiled an 8-1-2 record in league play, earning a third-place finish in the conference standings.

Yelton's team earned the right to host a first-round match in the 2008 SoCon Tournament and advanced past the College of Charleston with a 4-1 victory in a penalty-kick shoot out at Bulldog Soccer Field. Samford advanced to the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament and owns a 15-3-5 all-time record against SoCon opponents.

Head Coach Todd Yelton has already led the Bulldogs to four conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

In 2009, in only their second season as a member of the SoCon, Yelton led the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the conference and a semifinal-round appearance in the league's postseason tournament for a second straight year. Not only did Samford excel in SoCon play, but the Bulldogs registered a school-record 12-1-5 overall record. Their only loss in 2009 was a hard-fought 1-0 decision against College of Charleston.

Samford opened the 2009 season with a 0-0 draw against No. 25-ranked Auburn and then compiled a six-match winning streak, including a historic 3-0 victory over in-state rival Alabama.

Yelton was hired as Samford's second soccer coach Jan. 11, 2002. He immediately helped the Bulldogs become contenders in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Samford won its first eight matches of the 2002 season and opened the campaign with a school-record 9-0-1 start.

A native of Piney Flats, Tenn., Yelton began a youth-based resurgence in the soccer program by bringing in 10 freshmen in 2002. The 2003 roster featured six freshmen and was named the 19th best recruiting class in the Southeast by Soccer Buzz magazine, the first Samford freshman class to be recognized in that fashion. Five of Samford's last six recruiting classes have been ranked among the top 100 teams in the nation.

Since joining the OVC in 2003, the Bulldogs reached the champion­ship match of the OVC Tournament four times. Yelton was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2003 and led Samford to its initial Soccer Buzz Southeast Regional ranking before the 2004 season.

Samford had a school-record eight players earn berths on OVC All-Conference teams in 2003. Kim Matthews was named the OVC Freshman of the Year. Goalkeeper Crystal Royall set six school records, earning Soccer Buzz third-team All-Southeast Region honors. Six team records were set during 2003, including marks for shutouts in a ­season (13) and team goals-against average (0.66), and 15 individual records were either set or tied.

In 2004, Yelton brought in eight new players. The freshman class was named the 14th best recruiting class in the Southeast by Soccer Buzz and was ranked 79th in the nation.

After winning a second-straight OVC regular-season title in 2004, Samford had six players earn All-OVC honors, with four Bulldogs receiving first-team accolades and two players notching second-team awards. Senior goalkeeper Royall was the first player in conference history to be named both OVC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. In eight league matches, she earned five shutouts and tallied a 7-1 record as a starter.

The 2005 recruiting class consisted of seven talented prep stars. It was ranked 16th in the Southeast and 91st in the nation by Soccer Buzz.

During the 2005 campaign, Yelton helped Samford to a school-record 15-4-4 overall mark and a 7-2 conference record. He was named the OVC Coach of the Year, his second such honor in three years.

One of the nation's top women's soccer coaches, Yelton became the school's all-time winningest coach Sept. 9, 2005, picking up the groundbreaking victory with a 1-0 win on the road against North Carolina State. The triumph also was Samford's first victory against a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Honors continued to roll in during the 2005 campaign. Rebecca Bohler, Heather Birdsell and Cayley Winters were awarded Soccer Buzz Southeast Regional honors, and seven players earned All-OVC accolades. Sophomore forward Bohler was named the 2005 OVC Player of the Year.

Yelton is Samford's all-time winningest soccer coach.

Soccer Buzz ranked Samford's 2006 recruits 85th in the nation. The Bulldogs registered the first undefeated conference record in school ­history and finished the year with an 11-4-3 overall mark. With the team's 6-0-3 OVC record, Samford earned its fourth-straight regular-season conference title.

Samford continued to dominate post­season honors in 2006. Five players earned All-OVC accolades. Senior Sharon Young received Player of the Year honors, while Amber Cress was named Freshman of the Year and Paige Lanter earned All-­Newcomer honors. Junior Heather Birdsell was named to the conference's first team, while Bohler received second-team accolades.

Yelton was named the OVC Coach of the Year in both 2003 and 2005.

In 2007, the eight-player freshman class was ranked 68th in the nation by Soccer Buzz. Seven Bulldogs received All-OVC honors. Birdsell and Cress were named to the conference's first team, while Winters and Cindy Spiker garnered second-team accolades. True freshmen Lauren Cook, Colette Nammour and Hilary Samuels were named to the All-Newcomer Team.

Immediately following Samford's inaugural season in the SoCon, Theresa Henry, Alyssa Whitehead and Sarah Wilkinson were named to the league's All-Freshman team in 2008. They all played key roles in leading Samford to its 8-1-2 conference record.

Since 2002, Yelton's Bulldogs have knocked off Southeastern Conference opponents Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, Conference USA foes Memphis, UAB and Southern Miss, and ACC powerhouse North Carolina State.

Yelton served as the top assistant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham during 2000-01, where he helped turn around a Blazer team that went 3-14-2 in 2000. In 2001, UAB posted an 11-9 record, including a 7-3 C-USA mark.

Before coaching at UAB, Yelton served four years as head coach at Parkview High School in Atlanta, Ga. During that time, his teams posted a 59-11-3 overall mark and captured 4A state championships in 1997 and 1999. His teams received national rankings in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll three of his four years.

Yelton's first collegiate head coaching position was at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Ga., where he coached for four ­seasons and posted a 40-32-4 mark.

Yelton recently was named to the Region III Olympic Developmental Program staff.

His playing career began when he was a freshman at Tennessee Tech University. He then transferred to King College (Tenn.), where he was a two-year starter on defense. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from King College in 1991.

Yelton and his wife, Shauna, have a daughter, MacKenzie, 14, and a son, Colin, 11.