Men's Soccer Coach Biographies

Men's Soccer
Coach Biographies

Mike Combs
Head Coach

The head coach of the Cincinnati State men's soccer team is Mike Combs.

Combs is a graduate of Mariemont High School, where he played varsity soccer and was named CHL Player of the Year in 1991. Combs was recruited by Northern Kentucky University, where he played for the Norse as a center midfielder. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and was named to NKU’s All-Academic team, Honor Roll and Dean’s List. In 2005 he earned a Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Xavier University.

Combs coached at the high school level for seven years before becoming an assistant coach at Cincinnati State in 2000. In 2001 he accepted a full-time position at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., as an assistant men’s soccer coach.

In the fall of 2002, Combs became the head coach of the men’s team at Cincinnati State. In his nine seasons as head coach at Cincinnati State, his teams have posted a record of 148 wins, 31 losses, and 5 ties. Combs has led the Surge to seven Ohio Community College Athletic Conference championships and in 2010, marched all the way to NJCAA Division I National Finals while claiming district and regional championships.

In those nine seasons, the Cincinnati State program has been ranked in the top fifteen nationally and has produced twelve All-Americans. Combs was named OCCAC “Coach of the Year” in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, & 2011.  In 2010, Combs was a finalist for NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer National Coach of the Year.

Combs holds a USSF “C” National Coaching License, and is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. In addition to his work at Cincinnati State, he directs the Playmakers Soccer Academy, which provides youth soccer camps in Cincinnati.

In 2003 and 2005, he coached the USA Super clubs National Team that played in England against some of the top English club teams. There, he recorded eight wins, one loss and two ties, a Super clubs record.

Combs and his wife, Lange, reside in Madeira with their four-year-old daughter Zimmer and two-year old son Grafton.

Ron Pharr
Assistant Coach

Ronald Pharr, a graduate from Spring Brook High in Silver Spring, Maryland played football collegiately at Arizona State and Central State in Wilberforce, OH. Pharr joined the Cincinnati State men’s soccer team staff in 2011 as an assistant coach. His primary responsibilities are team strength & conditioning.

Pharr has also worked with the Cincinnati State men's basketball teams, the women's basketball team, and the golf team while playing the role of strength & conditioning coach. Pharr is certified through NETA (National Exercise Training Association) and worked as a personal trainer over the past ten years with all types of athletes. He specializes in plyometric, kinetics and strength & conditioning, while implementing full body exercise’s to strengthen core and balance. Pharr also worked for the UNC wellness center in Chapel Hill  before arriving at Cincinnati State. Pharr is currently attending classes at Cincinnati State studying Nutrition, Health and Fitness.