Former Birmingham Southern football coach Greg Vinson joins Thompson's staff – Shelby County Reporter

By Tyler Reilly | Special Report

Alabaster – It has been announced that former collegiate soccer player and coach Greg Vinson will move on to the high school level and become the associate head coach and university liaison for the Thompson High School boys and girls soccer teams.

Vinson takes the position following the closure of Birmingham-Southern College, where he was head coach of the men's soccer team for eight years and an assistant coach for 20 years prior to that. He also played collegiate soccer as a goalkeeper for the Panthers.

Vinson said he is excited to be taking on this role, which he said has been something he has wanted to do for some time.

“High school has been on my mind for a long time,” Vinson said, “All of my best friends as a coach are in high school, so I've seen the focus they put into kids' lives at the high school level, and that's always amazed and appreciated me. I think the decision to take that step into the high school arena was an easy one right off the bat.”

Vinson has mentored many athletes who have had success on the soccer field as coaches or players, including Thompson boys soccer head coach Alex Levinson, who was also a goalkeeper at Birmingham Southern.

Levinson, who will join the team alongside one of his former mentors, is excited about the team's future as he brings his college experience with the Warriors to the team, but also thinks it's great to keep the tradition of the Panthers football program local.

“I'm so blessed and so grateful to be in the position that I'm in,” Levinson said. “Beyond just football, this is an incredible hire for Birmingham and probably the best high school hire a high school could ask for. I think it means a lot to Alabaster City Schools to be in a position to be able to do something like this and make something like this happen as friends. I also think this is a really great way to honor the traditions of Birmingham and continue the traditions of Birmingham Southern High School.”

Vinson hopes that this time will be of great benefit to his players as he utilizes his knowledge in the collegiate world to help them be more prepared than ever for the next level.

“I care a lot about Thompson and their development,” Vinson said. “Coach Levinson and Coach (Dan) DeMasters have already put this into practice. They've played at the collegiate level and they know what to impress on players and what it takes to get to the next level. I see my role as just providing the latest first-hand experience on that and the level of commitment it takes to play at the next level and then translate that to the program.”

Women's soccer head coach Dan DeMasters believes his players will gain a lot from studying under Vinson's tutelage and is hopeful the program and those around it will embrace the experience and unique perspective he brings to the table as a coach.

“Parents and players should use Greg as another resource for football knowledge,” DeMasters said, “The players now have an even greater resource that will lead them to the next level. If your dream is to play at the collegiate level or even above the collegiate level, Coach Vinson has the experience of developing players, producing All-Americans and winning conference championships. He knows the process from your freshman year of high school all the way through to college.”

Vinson set school records for most saves and most shutouts by a goaltender during his collegiate career. Among other honors, he was named First Team All-America and was named NCAA/NCAA Player of the Year during his senior year in 1995. He was also inducted into the Birmingham-Southern University Hall of Fame in 2000.

Now, Vinson is looking to impart his knowledge to the next generation of Thompson football players, hoping they can take those lessons to new heights at the next level.