As the Bruin head women's soccer coach, Coach Chris Carmichael has led the women to NCCAA national championships in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025, while being named the NCCAA Coach of the Year for Division II in each of those seasons. For the past two seasons, Coach Carmichael has helped the team achieve Gold and Platinum status in the Sportsmanship and Ethics award given by the NSCAA. The Bruins were also previously awarded the National Sportsmanship award by the NIOSA and NCCAA. In addition to being the head women’s soccer coach, Carmichael also served as the NCCAA DII National Soccer Chair and Regional Chair.
Since starting the program in 2012, he has accumulated a record of 176-87-22. His cumulative number of wins as a head college soccer coach sits at 197. Along with the eight NCCAA South Region championships and the eight NCCAA National championships, Carmichael has coached 43 NCCAA All-American players, 90 NCCAA South All-Region players, six South Region Players of the Year, and six NCCAA National Players of the Year. Dr. Carmichael was also recently elected into the Bob Jones University Bruins Hall of Fame in 2025.
Coach Carmichael is a clinician when it comes to developing technically superior players with a high soccer IQ. He uses a number of contemporary training programs to get players to the top of their game. He is an avid learner of the game and enjoys the tactical complexity and competitive problem-solving that is required during both matches and training. Coach Carmichael views the role of sports as another platform for the believer to show Christ to the world. He stresses the importance of glorifying God both on and off the field through superior technical skills, encouragement and mentorship among players, and passion and purpose for the sport.
Dr. Chris Carmichael is highly experienced in the world of soccer, both as a player and a coach. As a player, he competed at NCAA Division I Eastern Illinois University and several USASA teams. As a coach, he has over 30 years of coaching experience in high school, club (Pensacola Futbol Club, Strikers Soccer Club, International Soccer Club, Furman United Soccer Club, and Carolina FC) and has been a Head Coach at the collegiate level for 16 years. Before coming to Bob Jones University in 2012, he was Head Coach of men's soccer at Malone University in Canton, Ohio. While at Malone, he rebuilt the men's struggling soccer team. In three years, Carmichael transformed the program from a team without a winning season in over a decade to the #1 seed in the NCCAA DI East Region. He was also selected to be the head coach of Carolina Football Club U18 Super Y League in 2017 where they won several landmark regional tournaments.
Coach Carmichael holds a USSF D and C License as well as NSCAA Regional, Advanced Regional, National Advanced National and Premier Diplomas. He has also successfully completed courses in the League Managers Association (LMA) School of Football Management.
In addition to his passion for sports, Dr. Carmichael is also very passionate about zoology. He is on faculty as a professor of biology with research interests in animal behavior, ecology and herpetology at Bob Jones University. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Eastern Illinois University, a Master of Science degree in Biology from Central Michigan University, and a PhD in Biology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He has conducted original research in New Zealand and is a former zookeeper and curatorial/research staff member at the Brookfield Zoo and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Dr. Carmichael and his wife, Sharon, have eleven children.
College(s) Attended:
Eastern Illinois University (1984-87')
Central Michigan University (1987-1990)
University of Southern Mississippi (2002-07')
Degree(s) Completed:
Bachelor of Science in Zoology from EIU (’87)
Master of Science in Biology from CMU(’90)
PhD in Biology from the USM (07')
Coaching Experience:
2012-Present – Bob Jones University – Women's Soccer, Head Coach
2009-2011 – Malone University – Men's Soccer, Head Coach
Hometown:
Lake Forest, Illinois
