Brad Bankhead is in his first season as the head coach of the men’s soccer team, bringing nearly two decades of collegiate coaching experience to University Hill. In his 20th season as a collegiate head coach, Bankhead owns a career record of 195-107-36, good for a .683 winning percentage.
Bankhead came to DBU after serving as the head coach at Hardin-Simmons University for three seasons. He guided the Cowboys to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and consecutive American Southwest Conference Tournament championships in 2024 and 2025.
Prior to his time at HSU, Bankhead spent 16 seasons as the head coach at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, building the Crusaders into one of the premier programs in Division III. During his tenure, UMHB earned three NCAA Tournament berths, captured two ASC regular-season championships, and won two conference tournament titles.
In total, Bankhead has led his teams at HSU and UMHB to five NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference regular-season championships, and four conference tournament titles. Between his head-coaching posts at UMHB and HSU, he had a one-year station as the Associate Athletics Director and NCAA Compliance Officer at UMHB.
Throughout his career, Bankhead has established a reputation as an elite developer of talent. During his time in the Division III ranks, his players earned four All-America honors, 18 All-Region selections, and more than 120 All-ASC recognitions. He also developed the ASC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and the ASC Co-Midfielder of the Year and Co-Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year in 2025.
Before becoming a collegiate head coach, Bankhead served as a volunteer assistant with the Hardin-Simmons men’s program and later spent one season as an assistant coach at Cumberland College in Kentucky. He also volunteered with the Hardin-Simmons women’s program while serving as the head coach at Abilene High School, where he was named District Coach of the Year in 2005.
In his playing career, Bankhead was a four-year letterman for HSU and earned All-American Southwest Conference honors three times during his playing career. Following graduation, he played one season with the Colorado Springs Stampede of the Professional Development League.
Bankhead graduated with his bachelor’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University in 2000. He is married to his wife, Shannon. They have three children: Mallory, Morgan, and Max.
