Grand Canyon University hires Chris Cissell as women’s soccer head coach

Grand Canyon University announced the hiring of Chris Cissell as the next head coach of its women’s soccer program. His hiring is contingent on successful completion of university hiring processes.

Cissell comes to GCU after nine seasons at Kansas City, where he claimed 102 victories, three WAC regular-season titles and two WAC Coach of the Year honors.

“I am extremely excited about this wonderful opportunity,” Cissell said. “I am grateful to President Brian Mueller, Jamie Boggs, Nick Ojea and Jason Linders for trusting me with the leadership of the GCU women’s soccer family.

“When I was on campus, I knew this was where I wanted to be. I felt at home in this overall family atmosphere and faith-based culture, combined with the great passion and competitive spirit. Everyone I have met on campus has been friendly, authentic and genuine and has made me feel welcome and at home. I am excited and ready for the challenges ahead, and I look forward to serving as the leader of this GCU Lopes program. My family and I are excited to move to Phoenix to join the incredible Grand Canyon University Lopes family.”

Cissell’s Kansas City teams posted three first-place finishes, two second-place finishes, a third-place finish and a fourth-place finish in the Roos’ seven seasons in the WAC. Kansas City was a member of the Summit League for Cissell’s first two seasons, when he improved the Roos from a last-place finish prior to his arrival to a third-place finish in his first season. The seven-spot improvement in the league standings earned him the 2012 Summit League Coach of the Year nod.

“We are extremely excited to bring Coach Cissell aboard to lead our women’s soccer program,” Interim Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs said. “Chris is a proven winner at the Division I level and within the Western Athletic Conference. Throughout the interview process, Chris’ engaging personality and strong character were evident and will be a great fit on campus. We are grateful to President Mueller for the university’s commitment to athletics and women’s soccer to allow us to hire someone with as much experience and success as Coach Cissell.”

In the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Cissell’s Roos went 14-1 in conference play en route to back-to-back WAC regular-season championships. In a 2018 season when the Roos set a program record for wins with a 16-5 record, Cissell led Kansas City to impressive wins over the likes of Kansas State and Iowa State. The Roos made their program debut in the Pacific Region rankings and climbed as high as eighth. He finished his Kansas City career with a record of 102-63-22 (.604).

Cissell was responsible for recruiting outstanding talent to Kansas City. In seven WAC seasons, the Roos had the conference’s leading goal-scorer in four seasons. The Roos had the WAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and featured the conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2018 and 2019.

Prior to his arrival at Kansas City, Cissell coached at his alma mater, Division II William Jewell, for 12 years. He took the reins of the women’s program in 1999 before also adding the men’s program to his duties in 2002. The women’s team went 168-57-12 (.734) in his 12 seasons while the men posted a mark of 114-49-10 (.688) in nine seasons. He was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame in 2015.

As a player at William Jewell, Cissell was a four-year starter and the team MVP in his final three seasons. The team captain earned first-team all-conference recognition as a junior and a senior, and was conference player of the year as a senior.

Cissell and his wife, Heather, who teaches kindergarten, have been married almost 25 years. They have four children, who all share a passion for soccer. Their oldest son, Mitchell, works for Missouri Youth Soccer Association as Director of Communication and recently had a son. His younger sons, Trevor and Zach, play college soccer. Their youngest daughter, Sophia, will graduate from high school in the spring and plans to play college soccer.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“Chris has built UMKC into an excellent program and is leaving that program in a very strong place. He is an excellent coach and a man of integrity. It is a great hire for GCU from both an athletics and character perspective.”
JOHN WALKER, NEBRASKA HEAD COACH

“We have competed against Chris’ teams for several years now. They are always well coached, organized and tough to compete against. Chris does a great job recruiting quality players to his program and knows how to get his players to compete at the highest level. I look forward to seeing him help Grand Canyon progress their program to the next level.”
MARK FRANCIS, KANSAS HEAD COACH

“Chris is an outstanding hire for GCU. He is a coach of high character who has a great soccer mind and is a tireless recruiter. He has done a tremendous job at UMKC, and I look forward to watching him grow the program at GCU.”
KAREN HOPPA, AUBURN HEAD COACH

“Chris is a tremendous hire for Grand Canyon. He is an excellent teacher of the game who is passionate about providing his players a first-class experience. His program has been the model of consistency in how they play, in both style, competitiveness and results. He is also a man of high character who is a great leader. I’m very excited to watch his teams develop a strong foundation in the years to come with good success.”
DAVID DILANNI, IOWA HEAD COACH

“GCU just knocked it out of the park with their hire of Chris Cissell. He is an educator at heart and has the emotional, psychological and physical welfare of his student-athletes as his highest priority. He is one of the best recruiters in the industry and is a tactician of the highest order. I can’t wait to see all the success that GCU women’s soccer will have with Chris at the helm. So happy for Chris and his family. You got a great one, Lope Nation!”
TIM HALL, SIUE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND FORMER UMKC ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

“As long as I have known Coach Cissell, he has been a big-time student of the game, always looking for an edge while never forgetting that it is all about relationships, both with his players as well as other coaches.”
JOHN PASCARELLA, OKC ENERGY (USL) HEAD COACH

“Chris is one of the best coaches in women’s D1 college soccer. He won championships by playing an exciting, attacking brand of soccer and did it with student-athletes who excelled in the classroom and community. We will miss Chris here in KC, and GCU is getting a real gem of a person and coach.”
RICK BENBEN, KANSAS CITY FORMER MEN’S HEAD COACH

“Congratulations to Grand Canyon University on a great hire. Coach Cissell is a fantastic person whose love and passion for the game is infectious. Players love playing and competing for him.”
CURT ONALFO, NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (MLS) TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

“Coach Cissell is so passionate about soccer and family and merges the two together masterfully. He meant and gave so much to soccer in Kansas City for over 25 years and will no doubt do the same in his new position.”
ROB THOMSON, SPORTING KC (MLS) CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

“GCU has hired an outstanding coach and mentor. The passion and enthusiasm that Chris has for the game is infectious. He brings a high level of detail that drives high standards and allows individuals to thrive. Along with these skills, he has the unique ability to connect with players and create phenomenal team spirit. I am looking forward to following the journey and wish Chris and everyone success, both on and off the soccer field.”
GARY CURNEEN, CHICAGO RED STARS (NWSL) ASSISTANT COACH

“Chris Cissell is not only a great coach but also a great leader.”
MIKE SORBER, LAFC (MLS) ASSISTANT COACH

“Coach Chris Cissell is an excellent talent evaluator and leader who manages talent in a team-focus environment. Grand Canyon has themselves one of the best.”
JEFFERSON ROBLEE, FORMER WILLIAM JEWELL HEAD COACH

“Coach Cissell brings a family environment to the team and success to the field. He is a great coach and person. Grand Canyon is getting an outstanding leader for its program.”
LINCOLN ROBLEE, BENEDICTINE COLLEGE HEAD COACH