Big news for DME Academy. Ray Leone joins the coaching staff to help lead the growth of the girls program. Ray will work across all female teams, and assist on our oldest team for the remainder of the season. His deep history, connections and experiences set us apart in our area and we couldn’t be more pleased with the addition.
Ray Leone brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success to DME Academy. With 38 years of coaching under his belt, he’s made his mark at powerhouse Division I programs like Creighton, Clemson, Arizona State, Harvard, and Maryland. He’s also contributed to the United States Sports Academy Coaching staff and held roles at IMG Academy, including Female College Placement Coordinator and Assistant Coach.
Leone’s tenure at the University of Maryland from 2016 to 2021 was a career-defining chapter. Under his leadership, the team reached new heights, including their first-ever Big Ten Tournament appearance in 2019. He also led the team to win the President’s Cup as the top academic women’s team in program history — a first for the school.
Before Maryland, Leone was at Harvard for nine years, where he truly left his mark. Between 2007 and 2016, he coached the Crimson to five Ivy League Championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances. Under his guidance, 22 players earned First-Team All-Ivy honors, while 16 more landed on the Second Team. He also helped produce four Ivy League Players of the Year and four Rookies of the Year, earning Ivy League Coach of the Year honors in 2014.
Leone’s success isn’t limited to the Ivy League. From 2000 to 2006, he served as head coach at Arizona State, leading the Sun Devils to 60 wins, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and a No. 9 national ranking in 2004 — a school record. His work with the team produced nine All-Pac 12 selections and a school-record 11 student-athletes on the Academic All-Pac 12 team in 2005.
At Clemson, Leone helped elevate the Tigers’ program from 1994 to 2000, first as an assistant coach and then as head coach. In his lone season as head coach in 2000, the Tigers set a school record with 19 wins and an ACC regular season championship. They also ended North Carolina’s 37-game ACC winning streak with 12 straight wins to start the season. Under his leadership, the program finished in the national top-15 every year and produced 20 All-ACC selections. Notably, the 1994 team made history as the first NCAA women’s soccer squad to reach the tournament in its first varsity season.
Leone’s coaching career began in 1986 at Berry College in Georgia and then at Creighton University in 1989, where he started the varsity programs from scratch. At Berry, he made history by leading the program to a national championship game in its first year, and in its second season, he guided the squad to an NAIA National Championship and earned National Coach of the Year honors. He finished his time at Berry with an impressive 49-13-5 record. During his five years at Creighton, he led the Bluejays to a top-five regional ranking.
Leone also played college soccer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he was a three-year letterman and helped the team win the Sun Belt Conference Championship in 1983. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology and holds a USSF A License, cementing his credentials as one of the game’s top minds.
