Caringi to retire after 32 years at the helm
Accolades flow in for coach who built, defined program
In the roughly two hours on Tuesday since UMBC had announced Pete Caringi Jr.’s plan to retire as men’s soccer coach on April 1, Caringi’s phone had been flooded with more than 50 calls and texts from current and former players, supporters and others wishing him well.
Caringi said he was still in the midst of replying to each person.
“Literally, I’m amazed,” he said. “It’s coming in from all over. It’s overwhelming, to be honest with you.”
That response seems fitting considering Caringi’s impact with the Retrievers and the overall soccer community in and around Baltimore. He is the architect of a program that made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1999, qualified for four more postseasons and sent the 2014 squad to the school’s first Final Four.
Under Caringi, UMBC captured four America East Tournament championships and three regular-season titles, two Northeast Conference regular-season crowns and one tournament championship and one Big South regular-season title. He amassed a 320-204-81 record through 32 seasons.
Entering last season, Caringi ranked 17th among active coaches with 310 total wins and 39th with a .595 winning percentage. Incredibly, he never suffered losing campaigns in back-to-back years.
This past season was Caringi’s 32nd, making him the university’s longest-tenured coach of a single program. Caringi’s accomplishments and longevity will be hard to match. His impact on the program might be even greater.
“He is UMBC soccer,” said Taylor Calheira, a Towson resident and Concordia Prep graduate who completed his junior year as a forward for Caringi. “He’s put the school on the map, and everyone knows about UMBC soccer because of him. There’s just not much more he could have done at the school — getting to the Final Four, winning championships.”
At 67, Caringi said he feels energetic and healthy. But he said he had been considering retirement for a while.
“Times change, and it just seems like college sports in general have changed,” he said. “I just felt like it was time to retire and see what else is out there right now.”
Although the Retrievers finished last fall with a 10-6-2 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the America East and were upset by Binghamton, 3-2, in overtime of the conference tournament quarterfinals, Caringi was encouraged by the quality of players returning