Mike Brown

Bio

Mike Brown enters his eighth season as Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Iowa Western Community College, where he has built one of the nation’s premier NJCAA programs. Since taking over the Reivers in 2019, Brown has compiled an outstanding 110–13–15 record across his first five seasons at Iowa Western. Across his full junior‑college coaching career (Iowa Western + Barton CC), Brown holds a 158–22–20 overall record. During Brown’s tenure as both an assistant and Head Coach, Iowa Western has won three NJCAA National Championships (2013, 2021, 2024), with Brown himself serving as head coach for the 2021 and 2024 national titles. He has also taken a team to the National Championship game two other times in his career (2018 Barton, 2020-21 IWCC)

Before Iowa Western, Coach Brown served as the head coach at Barton Community College in Kansas from 2016 to 2019.  The Cougars finished Coach Brown's final season in Great Bend at 21-2-2 and the national runner-up after falling in two overtimes at the NJCAA Championships.  Brown was instrumental in turning around the men's soccer program at Barton, posting an overall record of 48-9-6 on the field, but it started in the classroom.  Coach Brown's Cougar squads improved each year academically, finishing second in the NJCAA in 2018-19 with a team GPA of 3.31. During his time at Barton, he aided the advancement of multiple players to the four-year level from Barton.

Before his time at Barton, Brown was an assistant at the University of Central Arkansas, an NCAA D-1 program, from 2014-16.  Coach Brown assisted with academics, video analysis, and travel.  During his tenure, the Bears were awarded the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now United Soccer Coaches) academic award in 2014 with a 3.12 GPA. During that time Brown also served as the Director of Conway Rush and was instrumental in the creation of the NPSL expansion Little Rock Rangers serving as the franchise’s Director of Player Development.

Brown began his collegiate coaching career at Iowa Western in 2012, serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator under Jordan Carver.  During this time, the program went 42-1-1 and was the 2013 NJCAA National Champion with a record of 25-0-0.  During Brown’s previous stay in Council Bluffs with the Reivers, he coached and recruited 34 student-athletes who went on to play at four-year institutions.

Brown has also coached multiple players who reached the highest levels of the sport, including former Reiver Moïse Bombito, who progressed to MLS, OGC Nice and the Canadian National Team. He will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer. Since Brown has taken over at Iowa Western, they have produced 25 players who were listed as eligible for the MLS Draft which is far more than any other JUCO as well as coaching multiple MLS Draft Picks. (Bombito, 2022 Colorado Rapids, Oliver Semmle 2022 Colorado Rapids, Jassem Koleilat 2022 LAFC, Roman Torres 2024 Minnesota United) Brown also oversaw the tutelage of Damia Viader who signed with Union Omaha in their inaugural season in 2021 directly from Iowa Western and later became 2021 USL League One Finals League MVP and the 2021 USL League One Defender of the year. 

Academically, Brown’s teams have excelled as well, posting a team GPA over 3.5 on a yearly basis, and the program has maintained a strong academic culture throughout his tenure. Brown and the Reivers are also heavily involved with Football for the World, contributing service, equipment support, and community outreach as one of the organization’s most active college partners. In 2022 he initiated Beyond the Goals with Football for the world, an initiative donating a ball for every goal his program scores. 

Looking ahead, Coach Brown will launch the U23 Evolution Soccer Club this summer—a new high-level summer program that will compete in the The League for Clubs and will be built primarily on local players and athletes from nearby colleges. The team will extend player‑development pathways, strengthen regional ties, and create new opportunities for aspiring college and professional players in the local area.

Brown holds a Premier Diploma and Goalkeeping Level 2 Diploma from the NSCAA as well as his USSF D License. Coach Brown graduated in 2012 from Benedictine College with a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and in 2013 with a Master of Science in Sports Administration from Liberty University.

"My family and I are beyond thrilled to take over this program and carry on the traditions that Coach Carver has established," Brown says, "Since serving on Coach Carver's staff, Iowa Western has always held a very special place in my heart.  The opportunity to come back and push it towards being the premier soccer program in the country was something I could not pass up."

Coach Brown goes on to add, "I will be forever grateful to Coach Carver and his family for everything they have done for me and it is an honor to lead this program.  I am thankful to the people at Barton County that gave me an opportunity to become a head coach.  I'd like to thank Mr. Capo and Dr. Kinney for entrusting me with this program, your energy and enthusiasm made this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  I am excited to get to work with these outstanding young men and we are looking forward to the future.  Great things lie ahead."

Coach Brown and his wife, Amy, are the proud parents of Ayla and Noelle and reside in Council Bluffs.