Roy Messer became the head men's soccer coach at Earlham College in 1981 and was the longest tenured mentor on the athletics staff untli his retirement announcement on may 5, 2015.

During his time with the men’s soccer program, Messer posted 278 victories and 11 times the Quakers reached double figures in wins for a season.

Earlham has been in the NCAA National Tournament once and the NAIA National Tournament six times under the leadership of the New Jersey native.

The 1970 College of Wooster graduate also led Earlham to a school record 16 wins in 1999 just one year after the Quakers appeared in the NCAA Tournament.

The Quakers have won five conference championships under Messer. Two each in the College Athletic Conference and in the Illinois-Indiana Soccer Conference. In 2014, the Quakers won the regular season title in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Earlham also won NAIA District 21 championships in 1986 and 1987.

Many of the players during the 1980s achieved all-conference, all-region and All-American honors. When Earlham joined the North Coast Athletic Conference in 1989, the individual success continued with numerous players receiving post-season recognition.

Messer was honored as the NCAC Coach of the Year in 1997. The following season, Jamie Dick was selected as the NCAC Offensive Player of the Year, while Orion Creamer was named the NCAC Defensive Player of the Year.

In 2011, Earlham qualified for the HCAC post-season tournament for the first time as the Quakers fell in the championship match.

After the 2013 season, Messer was named the HCAC Coach of the Year. Frank Mbaya was selected as the HCAC Co-Defensive Most Valuable Player.

Messer's players and teams have been recently recognized by the Earlham Athletics Hall of Fame. Paul Schroeder, who is Earlham’s all-time leading scorer with 50 goals and 44 assists, was inducted in 2005. John Cell followed in 2007.

In 2010, Korben Perry and the 1984 team shared the spotlight at the induction ceremonies.