BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR
Twitter: @MiSoccerNetwork
From Oakland University Athletic Announcement
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – After a national search that lasted over two months, Oakland University Athletics announced Monday that men's soccer Interim Head Coach Paul Doroh will assume the head coaching position effective today.
“You have to be confident through the whole process, but you never know until you get that call,” said Doroh Monday afternoon. “I know there was a long list of candidates. I’m honored to get the job.”
Oakland’s vacancy was created after longtime coach Eric Pogue departed on February 6. Pogue served as the head coach at OU from 2009-2023.
Doroh was a part-time assistant coach from 2016-2020 before being promoted to the associate head coach position before the 2020-21 campaign. Since joining the staff, Doroh has helped Oakland win a pair Horizon League regular season titles (2021, 2023) and two league championship game appearances (2021, 2023) along with a Horizon League Tournament Championship victory in 2021. “Throughout the interview process, I was impressed by Paul’s vision for the program and how he plans to implement that vision. I look forward to watching him lead the current and future Oakland men's soccer student-athletes to much success on and off the field,” said Oakland Director of Athletics Steve Waterfield in a press release on Monday.
Last season Oakland finished 8-9-2 overall which included a slow start but regrouped to finish 6-3-0 in Horizon League play to clinch the regular season championship and gain the No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. The Golden Grizzlies defeated Purdue-Fort Wayne (1-0) and IUPUI (2-1) to reach the league tournament finals, where they fell to Green Bay (1-0).
Doroh takes the helm for a program with high expectations for the foreseeable future, as 19 players are expected back from last season.
“I am honored am humbled,” admitted Doroh. “The team (players) have been very supportive throughout the process and most of them have remained committed to the program without knowing for sure who would be the (head) coach. But except for the guys that graduated, almost everyone else stuck around, which is great. We had a large group of newcomers last year because we knew a good group was graduating and we also signed a really good group of (incoming freshmen) for next year. I believe all of them have stayed committed to Oakland. We really didn’t go into the transfer portal much.
I’m excited about next year’s team and can’t wait to get started with them as the head coach,” added Doroh.
A long-time member of the Golden Grizzlies family, Doroh was inducted into the Oakland Athletics Hall of Honor in 2010, honoring his playing career with the then-Pioneers. He was a two-time All-GLIAC performer and led Oakland to two NCAA Division II National Championship game appearance (1994, 1996) in the 1990s. He was a multi-year honoree for All-Conference (GLIAC), All-Region and All-America during his playing days at Oakland.
As a senior in the fall of 1996, Doroh was named NCAA Division II All-America and helped Oakland record 14 shutouts playing on the back line. He was a four-year starter and a two-time All-GLIAC First Team selection and two-time All-Region player. Doroh was selected into the Umbro Senior Bowl and attended the MLS combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in late 1996.
During college, he also played in the USL-League Two (formerly Premier Developmental League) for the Mid-Michigan Bucks / Michigan Bucks and also had a short stint professionally with the Detroit Rockers.
He began his coaching career at the club level, helping start the Bloomfield Force FC along with former OU teammate Andrew Wagstaff. Doroh’s club teams won several state cup championships at the MSYSA level and qualified for several regional and national tournaments. He currently coaches in the club system with Pontiac-based Liverpool FC.
Additionally, Doroh is the current varsity girls soccer coach with the Romeo Summit Home School Mountaineers and was the head coach in 2023 for the Flint City Bucks of the USL-League Two, where he guided the Bucks to a Great Lakes Division and Central Conference championship and to a second straight USL-League Two North American Final Four appearance.
Doroh graduated in 1992 from Macomb Lutheran North High School, where he was an All-State First Team honoree as a senior.
Doroh said he plans on keeping his coaching positions at those levels along with serving as head coach at NCAA Division I Oakland University. Doroh will be busy finalizing his coaching staff over the next few weeks in preparation for the fall 2024 campaign.
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer of teams or players with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com, or call 248-884-1051. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com.)
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