Chris Handy
Chris Handy

Bio

Chris Handy is heading up the Gulf Coast men’s soccer team for the 12th season in 2023. His teams have won 10 or more games in eight of the last 10 seasons, compiling a 121-61-12 record during his tenure in Perkinston. The Bulldogs have had seven NJCAA All-Americans since he’s been the head coach, and 10 sophomores from last year’s team moved on to play at four-year schools. 

The 2022 team advanced to the NJCAA Region 23 semifinals before falling in overtime. That was a year after the Bulldogs won the MACCC/Region 23 championship.

The Bulldogs were MACCC South Division runners-up, then won three matches on the way to the title. In the championship, Gulf Coast tied archrival Pearl River, which was ranked third in the country, 2-2 after regulation and two overtime periods. The Bulldogs won a penalty shootout that stretched to eight rounds to earn the program’s first trip to the NJCAA National Championship tournament. Gulf Coast lost a pair of one-goal matches in pool play in Wichita, Kansas. Handy earned MACCC, NJCAA Region 23, and NJCAA South District Coach of the Year after his team’s sensational season, and he and his staff were named United Soccer Coaches South Region Staff of the Year.

Gulf Coast had previously made trips to four MACJC championship games, including the 2016 and 2017 seasons which saw the Bulldog blitz the MACJC South Division undefeated with an 18-0 record.

Handy wore both men’s and women’s coaching hats in taking the teams to the 2013 postseason and was named 2014 South Region Men’s Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. 

Handy was the assistant men’s coach at Tyler Junior College from 2007-11, where the teams went 89-9-6 with back-to-back NJCAA titles in 2009-10. He played and interned at Florida International University in 2005-6, where he graduated with a degree in strength and conditioning. Handy also has a master’s in education in kinesiology from the University of Texas at Tyler.

The Austin, Texas, native played at Tyler Junior College, where he was an All-Region and two-time Academic All-Region selection. He and his wife, Apryl, have three children: Jazzlyn, 10, and Jaxon, 8, and Jayce, 4.

Chris Handy MGCCC Record
  Overall Conference/Division Notes
Season Wins Losses Ties Wins Losses Ties  
2012 6 8 2 4 4 0  
2013 10 6 1 8 2 0  
2014 14 5 2 7 2 1 MACJC Runner-up 
2015 14 5 0 8 2 0 MACJC Semifinalist 
2016 15 3 0 10 0 0

MACJC South Champion

MACJC Runner-up
2017 13 3 1 8 0 0

MACJC South Champion

MACJC Runner-up
2018 5 9 1 2 5 1  
2019 13 6 1 4 4 0 MACJC Runner-up 
2020-21 11 3 0 8 2 0 MACCC South Champion
2021 11 7 2 7 2 1 MACCC/Region 23 Champion/National Tournament
2022 9 6 2 6 2 2 Region 23 Semifinalist
Totals 121 61 12 72 25 5  

 

Career highlights

  • 2021: Won men's MACCC/Region 23 Championship and made first trip to NJCAA Tournament
  • 2020-21: Won men's MACCC South Division championship
  • 2019: Played in MACJC title game
  • 2017: Won men’s MACJC South Division championship
  • 2016: Won men’s MACJC South Division championship
  • 2013: Took men's and women's teams to postseason
  • 2007-2011: Assistant men’s coach, Tyler (Texas) Junior College (89-9-6, back-to-back NJCAA titles in 2009-10, NJCAA 3rd Place in 2011)
  • 2005-2006: Played/interned at Florida International University
  • 2003-2004: Played at Tyler and helped team to a 17-3-2 record and a trip to the region finals in 2005... Earned All-Region honors and was a two-time Academic All-Region selection... Also named to the Dean’s List and to the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa.
  • Austin, Texas, native