Kansas State soccer coach Mike Dibbini steps down after nine seasons with Wildcats

The coach who helped Kansas State create a women’s soccer team is stepping down after nine seasons with the Wildcats.

Mike Dibbini, the first and only soccer coach in school history, is leaving his job to focus on his health.

“Due to some health concerns that I have dealt with over the last 18-to-24 months, I have decided to step away from K-State soccer to focus on my health,” Dibbini said in a statement released by K-State. “It has been an honor to be the first soccer head coach at K-State. I am proud of what we were able to accomplish during the building process of this program over the last 10-plus years. The current and former players that have been here will always have a special place in my heart.”

K-State athletic director Gene Taylor will begin a national search for a new soccer coach immediately.

“We appreciate Coach Dibbini and all he has done to help build our soccer program,” Taylor said in a statement. “Starting a program from scratch is demanding and difficult and he and his staff have made strides over the past nine years. I think the world of Mike Dibbini. We wish Mike and his terrific family nothing but the best.”

The Wildcats announced plans to start a women’s soccer team in 2014 and hired Dibbini as its inaugural head coach. So he spent more than a decade at K-State. The team played its first game in 2016.

During his nine seasons in Manhattan, Dibbini led the Wildcats to a 38-98-21 record and made one appearance in the Big 12 Tournament. They never flirted with the NCAA Tournament.

K-State struggled this season and finished last in the Big 12 with a record of 3-12-3. Dibbini’s team didn’t win a single conference game.