Richard Mulrooney is a Memphis guy, born and bred.
Leaned to play soccer at Memphis FC and was an All-America recruit at Christian Brothers high school.
For college he headed for Omaha, Nebraska, where he was a four-year starter at midfield for the Creighton University Blue Jays.
Twelve years of Major League Soccer took him to San Jose and Houston. Now retired, and back in Memphis, Mulrooney felt the sport he loved calling him.
He answered that call, and earlier this year became an assistant coach for the University of Memphis men’s soccer team.
Head coach Richie Grant could not have found a better assistant coach. And he found him right at home in Memphis.
“I’ve spent the last two years helping to raise my boys at home and trying to figure out what was next,” Mulrooney said in a recent article in The Dailey Helmsman. “As time has gotten on, I’ve just missed soccer.”
He was the third overall pick in the 1999 MLS College Draft, taken by the San Jose Earthquakes. His career included three MLS Cup championships in San Jose, and later in Houston when the Earthquakes became the Dynamo.
He also earned 14 caps with the U.S. MNT.
“He has a wealth of experience and he’s been down this road before where our lads are,” said Grant. “It’s his personal experiences and his ability to teach that to our kids that we are looking for.”
Mulrooney has little experience as a coach, but in the two years he’s been back home, he’s had a good look at the Memphis team that went 8-7-3 last fall, losing to Kentucky in the opening round of the Conference USA tournament.
In the student newspaper article, he expressed confidence that the program was already a strong one as the University of Memphis moves into what was the BIG EAST conference this fall.
“When you can work as a team and really know and trust each other, you can build something special,” Mulrooney said. “I think that’s already here. I watched some games this last fall for Memphis and looking at the results they were in a lot of games they could have won.
“Soccer has such a fine line in that you can dominate and lose just as easily as you can play bad and win.”
While he’s short on coaching experience, Mulrooney is willing to learn. He hopes he can share some of the knowledge he’s gained playing the game, and that his experiences will serve as motivation for younger players.
“I do have a lot to learn on the college side and (Richie Grant) will be a great mentor for me,” Mulrooney said. “He’s been here for ten plus years and he’s run a great program.
“I’m just hoping to come in to contribute, whether that be with the credibility of playing professional soccer or just from being from Memphis because I was once one of those kids out on the field today.”