Greg Vinson, one of Birmingham-Southern College’s most honored athletes, begins his eighth year as head men’s soccer coach in 2023 after 20 seasons as the program’s first full-time assistant coach. The 2020 season culminated with an SAA Regular Season Championship and SAA Coach of the Year honors for Vinson.  The 2021 campaign was highlighted by seven Panthers receiving All-Conference awards, Coleman Jennings named SAA Offensive Player of the Year, a 8-8-1 (SAA 3-3-1) season record. 37 players have received All-SAA honors during Vinson’s tenure, including four SAA Player of the Year honors (Jennings in 2020, 2021 & 2022 and Galen Curry in 2017). His overall record as head coach of the Panthers stands at 56-43-12.

As a three-year team captain and starter at goalkeeper for the Panthers, Vinson set three individual single-season records including most saves (168), most shutouts (13), and lowest goals against average (1.04). 

For his career at BSC, he set records for most saves (420) and most career shutouts (27). He was named National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Honorable Mention All-America (1993), NSCAA All-South (1994), and was selected First-Team All-America and named Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America/National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Player of the Year (1995). Vinson helped lead Birmingham-Southern to a 21-3-1 record in his senior year, which included a No. 2 ranking in the national polls and a trip to the national semifinals in the college’s first-ever national tournament appearance. In addition to being named to the NAIA National All-Tournament Team, he was selected to represent BSC in the NSCAA’s Senior Bowl All-Star game in 1995. During Vinson’s college career, he played three seasons for the Birmingham Grasshoppers, an amateur team in the United States International Soccer League. He continued for one season after graduation. In the spring of 2000, Vinson was inducted into the BSC Sports Hall of Fame. Vinson, a Birmingham native, graduated from Pelham High School where he received All-Metro team honors. After graduating from BSC in 1995 with a business degree, he went on to earn a master’s degree in business. He and his wife, the former Melissa Boren, a BSC graduate and former captain of the women’s soccer team, were married in 1998. The couple has two sons, Drew and Daniel.