Coaching Experience
• Assistant Coach, Cornell University (2015 - Present)
• Assistant Coach, University of Maryland (2013-14; 1995-2003)
• Assistant Coach, Syracuse University (2011-12)
• Undergraduate Assistant Coach, University of Maryland (1987-88)
Education
• B.G.S.; University of Maryland (1988)
At Cornell
Veteran coach Steve Simpson joined the Big Red field hockey staff as an assistant coach in March 2015. A seasoned NCAA coach who has been involved in all facets of the game, Simpson has years of experience as a player, coach and umpire.
In his three seasons with the Big Red, the team has posted a record of 31-19 overall and 12-9 in the Ivy League, with a pair of top three conference finishes.
Of the 19 losses during his tenure, nearly half (9) have come to nationally ranked teams, while the Big Red's 11 wins in 2015 tied the school record for victories in a season.
He also helped the Big Red close a campaign with a top 20 RPI and a top 20 strength of schedule (SOS) for the first time in program history, finishing at 19th overall in both categories at the end of the 2015 season.
Prior To Cornell
Simpson spent the previous two seasons with national power Maryland, helping his alma mater to a combined record of 41-6, a pair of conference titles, an ACC Tournament title, and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2013 Final Four.
In total, Simpson has had three stints with the Terps’ program, where he launched his career as an undergraduate coach and helped the 1987 team to the program’s first-ever national title before graduating in 1988. He joined the staff in a full-time capacity as an assistant coach in 1995 and stayed on through 2003. During that time, he helped Maryland win the 1999 national championship and advance to four Final Fours.
Prior to his latest go-around with Maryland, Simpson spent two years as an assistant coach at Syracuse (2011, 2012), where he helped lead the Orange to a 38-7 combined record, one BIG EAST Tournament title, one BIG EAST regular season title, two NCAA Tournaments, and one Final Four. Simpson joined the Syracuse staff after a four-year stint as an assistant at New Hampshire in which the team won the America East regular season title in 2010. Prior to UNH, he worked at UMass, where he served as assistant coach from 2003-06.
International Experience
Simpson also has international coaching experience, most recently being selected to assist with the US U19 team during the 2015-16 season. He was also an assistant with the U.S. Women’s National Team (1997-98) that included the Hockey World Cup in May 1998 and the Champions Trophy in 1997. In addition, he has coached at numerous “A” and “B” Camps and been active in the USFHA Futures Program, including serving as Regional Director and Director of Coaching of the Chesapeake Region.
His coaching resume also includes the EPTC Regional Team, the Tidewater Tempest and the New England Fire. He also founded and coached the Washington Wolves Hockey Club.
Simpson was an internationally-rated umpire manager. He umpired at the Indoor World Cup in Leipzig, the Pan Am Games, the Pan Am Cup and the World Cup qualifier in Edinburgh in 2001.
