DENVER - Metropolitan State University of Denver men's soccer head coach Ken Parsons announced his resignation on Monday. He has accepted a position at Cal State East Bay to be the university's new assistant athletic director for compliance, business operations and soccer operations.
 
Parsons has been a model of consistent winning at MSU Denver, as his teams posted 10 or more wins each year. The current streak of 12 seasons with 10 or more wins by the Roadrunners is the longest active streak in the RMAC, with the second-longest sitting at six straight seasons. His teams also qualified for the conference tournament every season.
 
Parsons was head coach for the Roadrunners for 11 seasons and at the time of his resignation, was the second-longest tenured active head coach at MSU Denver. Over his 11 seasons, he compiled a 138-69-21 record (.651), while leading the Roadrunners to four NCAA Tournament appearances. He won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title in 2007 and the conference tournament championship in 2004, while earning 2007 RMAC coach of the year.
 
He has the highest winning percentage in school history and has led more teams to the NCAA Tournament than any other coach in Roadrunners history. He also ranks second all-time in school history in total wins.
 
Parsons has coached four of the past seven RMAC players of the year, the 2013 RMAC defensive player of the year Andrew Mejia, and three of the past four RMAC freshmen of the year. During his 11 seasons, Parsons coached 10 All-Americans, 41 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas all-region players, and 31 first team all-RMAC selections. He also coached Steven Emory for four seasons. Emory went on to sign a contract with the Colorado Rapids for Major League Soccer and enjoyed a professional playing career with the Rapids and in Europe.
 
His biggest moment as a head coach may have come in 2012 when senior Marc Herschberger was named Capital One Academic All-America® of the Year, becoming the first player in RMAC history to win the top academic honor in the nation. Parsons's teams have always been strong in the classroom, earning National Soccer Coaches Association of America academic honors seven times. His 2014 squad will likely earn those honors again after posting a 3.31 grade point average for the school year.
 
At MSU Denver, he served as business manager for the department throughout his tenure. He also held the position of interim assistant athletic director for compliance several times.
 
Prior to joining the Roadrunners, Parsons was the head men's and women's soccer coach at Mesa Community College in Arizona for two seasons, totaling a 67-18-4 record. He retires from coaching having posted a winning record every season of his career.
 
Parsons will be reconnecting with former Roadrunners director of athletics Joan McDermott, who accepted the same position at Cal State East Bay earlier this year.