On April 13, 2020, Colorado State University-Pueblo Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Paul Plinske announced Oliver Twelvetrees as the next Head Men’s Soccer Coach for the ThunderWolves. 

Twelvetrees is the fourth head coach in program history and will begin his duties April 15. 

“We are thrilled to introduce Oliver as our next head men's soccer coach,” Plinske said. “He elevated quickly amidst a highly competitive pool of over 75 applicants. His educational and practical work experiences are exceptional, but I'm especially excited about his winning track record. Fielding a competitive and highly successful program is a priority for CSU-Pueblo and Oliver is the perfect fit for this talented and hungry sport program. We are excited to get Oliver, Andrea and their family to the Pueblo community to make a big difference in the lives of many.”

“I am extremely honored to accept the Head Coaching Position at CSU Pueblo,” Twelvetrees said. “I was attracted to the position because of the top class facilities, fantastic location in Colorado and potential that I saw for success in the program. It also became clear in the interview process Dr. Paul Plinske and Jackie Wallgren's vision and ambition for the program matched my motivation and drive for success. I was so impressed with Dr. Plinske’s leadership style and the University's plans for growth and development that I knew that I wanted to be part of the team at CSU-Pueblo Athletics.”

Twelvetrees has amassed a head coaching record of 239-63-15 for a 77.8 winning percentage. He brings more than 20 years of coaching experience to CSU-Pueblo with 16 of them serving as the head coach of a collegiate program. During his time as a head coach he has collected conference, region and district championships, along with multiple coach of the year honors at the region and district level. 

“I see a program with some really talented players in a historically great conference, as well as, the potential to recruit some of the best young footballers nationwide and worldwide to a University with so much to offer in the CSU System,” Twelvetrees said.

“I am motivated to compete regionally and nationally on the pitch immediately. I know the players and type of team that is needed to win in college soccer, and I am driven to go out and get what will help us achieve those goals. Creating a culture of excellence with expectations to succeed in all aspects of our University experience is vital to the future success of my program.”

Twelvetrees was most recently the head men’s coach at Eastern Florida State College (Melbourne, Fla.) where he started the program and built up the Titans to a National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division I runner-up finish in 2019. Last season, the Titans produced a program-record 16 victories on the pitch and have posted a 31-7-3 record in the last two years, which included a trip to at least the national semifinals in each year. Twelvetrees and his staff were named United Soccer Coaches Association Junior College Division I South Region Staff of the Year in 2019. The program also had a National Scholar Athlete of the Year last season. 

After starting the program in 2013, Twelvetrees has guided the Titans to four trips to the national tournament with a second place finish last season and third place results in 2015 and 2018. In every season he roamed the sidelines, EFSC were conference, region or district champions and finished in the top 10 of the final NJCAA rankings. The Titans had four All-American selections last year and have touted 14 NJCAA All-Americans and nine United Soccer Coaches All-Americans in his seven seasons. Eastern Florida State has sent multiple student-athletes on to top-level NCAA Division I universities and celebrated former players in the professional ranks nationally and internationally, which includes two players drafted to Major League Soccer (MLS). He exits with a 97-18-10 (.816) overall record. 

“I would like to thank President Mottet for the opportunity to lead the program and of course to Dr. Plinske for the faith he has shown in me during these difficult times,” Twelvetrees said.

“I would also like to thank all players, staff and administrators at Eastern Florida State College who have been a part of the program’s success and I wish them all the best in the future.”

Prior to his time at EFSU, Twelvetrees spent seven seasons as the head coach of the men’s soccer program at Barton Community College (Great Bend, Kan.), which also competed at the NJCAA Division I level. He collected a 124-20-5 (.849) record with the Cougars. It took just one season to reach championship status, which proved to be just the beginning for his program. Under his tutelage, Barton CC won four conference championships (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012), four Region VI Championships (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) and twice were district champions and national qualifiers (2009, 2010). The teams finished top 15 in each of the final national rankings and earned at least one All-American per year. Twelvetrees guided more than 50 percent of his BCC student-athletes on to four-year institutions. 

Twelvetrees got his start at the collegiate level on the women’s side with two years as a head coach at NCAA Division II Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. Prior to WSC he served as a graduate assistant for the women’s program at Bemidji State University (Bemidji, Minn.), which is also in Division II and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). 

Twelvetrees holds a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Premier Diploma and USSF B License. 

Since 2016, he served as a television and radio analyst for the Orlando City Soccer Club (MLS) and Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship). 

He is a native of Swansea in Wales, UK where he played soccer for Swansea College and University of Brighton. He graduated from Brighton in 1999. Twelvetrees earned his master's degree at Bemidji State in 2004.

“I believe in a team-first mentality and a passion for competition,” Twelvetrees said. “My teams will be committed to each other and the process of winning. This means pushing each other to be better everyday and improving every practice, meeting, game and season.”