Longtime Providence men's soccer coach Bill Doyle has died. He was 93.

Bill Doyle, the soccer coach who founded the men’s program at Providence College and led it for more than a quarter century, has died. He was 93.

Doyle’s passing was announced Wednesday afternoon by the school with the blessing of his family. He started with the Friars in 1968 and led them through a transition into the Big East, eventually stepping down in 1994. Doyle guided Providence to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1983 and was twice recognized for leading the top program in the Eastern Region.

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The Friars hit full stride under Doyle in the 1980s, reaching a conference championship match in 1984 and semifinal matches in 1983 and 1987. Providence fell to Connecticut in the 1983 postseason and again to the Huskies in the 1984 league title round. Doyle was named Big East Coach of the Year in 1983 and was a National Coach of the Year finalist in 1984.

Doyle successfully recruited and developed some of the best players in program history. John Farren remains the all-time leading scorer for the Friars, racking up 62 goals and 30 assists from 1982-85. Farren’s goal tally is 27 more than runner-up Mac Steeves, and his 17 goals in 1984 remains the program record in a single season.

Doyle featured the program’s first pair of All-Americans in the 1980s. Midfielder Martin Hayes and defender Seamus Purcell were each selected to consecutive teams in 1983-84 and 1987-88, respectively. Purcell (1987) is one of three first-team picks in program history, joining Ryan Maduro (2006) and current Inter Miami FC midfielder Julian Gressel (2016).

Doyle’s teams showed the ability over time to both attack and defend effectively. Providence’s program records for goals in a season (60, 1983) and fewest goals allowed in a season (10, 1970) were both set under his watch. The Friars won 11 straight matches in 1970, posted seven straight shutouts in 1983, collected 11 shutouts overall in 1984 and put together 11 consecutive winning seasons from 1978-88 — those all remain program standards that were set under Doyle.

Doyle finished with 207 victories and was inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. Providence didn’t reach another NCAA Tournament after his breakthrough until 2005 — the Friars have now established themselves as annual contenders under Chaka Daley and current coach Craig Stewart. Providence reached a national semifinal in 2014 and a national quarterfinal in 2016 under Stewart, falling to powers UCLA and North Carolina, respectively.

Doyle, his wife, Carmel, and their family emigrated from Ireland in 1963. The school’s release credited Doyle with using connections in his native country to help recruit track and field athletes to the Friars as early as the 1970s. Ireland native Ray Treacy, one of the greatest Providence coaches in its athletic history regardless of sport, ran for the Friars in the 1980s and has coached more than 60 All-Americans at the school over the last four decades.

Doyle leaves his wife, their five children, seven grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and the rest of his extended family. A celebration of his life will be held Friday, Aug. 23, at Christ the King Church in South Kingstown.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Longtime Providence men's soccer coach Bill Doyle has died. He was 93.