Robert "Bob" Butehorn (born August 12, 1960) is a retired American soccer coach. He served as head coach of the South Florida Bulls men's soccer program from 2017 to 2025. Butehorn previously built the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's soccer program from its inception in 2007, leading the Eagles to six straight Atlantic Sun regular season titles, four conference tournament titles, and four NCAA Tournament appearances. He also had earlier head coaching experience at St. Bonaventure and played on the University of Tampa's 1981 NCAA Division II national championship team.
Early life Bob Butehorn was born on August 12, 1960, in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, specifically in Glenelg, Maryland.
College career Butehorn attended the University of Tampa, where he was part of the team's 1981 NCAA Division II Soccer Championship run. He played as a midfielder.
At Tampa, Butehorn earned a Bachelor's degree in sports science. He later earned his Master of Science in Sports Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Coaching career
Maryland Tarpins (assistant) Butehorn's coaching career began as an assistant to the Maryland Terrapins men's soccer program from 1988 to 1994.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies He became the head coach for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's soccer program in 1995, serving until 1998. In 1997, he had the program's winningest season at the time, posting a 12–6–0 record. At St. Bonaventure, Butehorn coached the only Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year in school history.
Butehorn's final record at St. Bonaventure was 34–32–4.
Penn Quakers (assistant) Upon leaving St. Bonaventure, Butehorn served as an assistant coach for the Penn Quakers men's soccer program before becoming the first head coach of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's soccer program in 2007.
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Butehorn was the inaugural head coach of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's soccer program, starting in 2007. He built the program from scratch and made it competitive in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN).
FGCU achieved significant success in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). He guided the Eagles to six consecutive ASUN regular season titles (2010–2015) and four ASUN tournament championships (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016). He had 9–0–0 conference record in 2010. The team made four NCAA Division I Tournament appearances (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016), reaching the second round in 2016.
Butehorn was named ASUN Coach of the Year three times (2009, 2011, 2015) and NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year in 2012. During his tenure, the Eagles reached as high as No. 11 in the national rankings in 2016 and earned multiple Top 25 rankings. He coached numerous award winners, including ASUN Players of the Year in 2015 and 2016, and developed a strong pipeline of All-Conference and All-Academic honorees.
His overall record at Florida Gulf Coast was 93–63–24.
South Florida Bulls On December 18, 2016, Butehorn was hired as the head coach for the South Florida Bulls men's soccer program. The Bulls reached the NCAA tournament in 2019 and 2022 under his leadership.
He developed seven players selected in the MLS SuperDraft and coached 25 All-American Athletic Conference honorees, including American Conference Player of the Year winners Jahiem Wickham (Goalkeeper of the Year, 2025), Pedro Faife (Midfielder of the Year, 2024), and Kazuna Takase (Goalkeeper of the Year, 2021).
His overall record at South Florida was 64–59–23.
Personal life Butehorn retired following the 2025 season.
He is married to Cindy Butehorn, they have two daughters (Madison and Jessica).
He resides in the Tampa/Naples area.
Honors
As a player
Tampa
NCAA Division II National Champion: (1981)
As a coach
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
ASUN Regular Season Champion (6): 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 ASUN Tournament Champion (4): 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 ASUN Coach of the Year (3): 2009, 2011, 2015 NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year (1): 2012
South Florida Bulls
NCAA Division I Tournament Appearances (2): 2019, 2022
Head coaching record
Source:
References
External links FGCU Profile South Florida Bulls bio