Dustin Downey enters his fifth season as the head coach of the Idaho State soccer program in 2026. Since being named head coach by Director of Athletics Pauline Thiros in January 2022, Downey has guided the Bengals to a 14-42-13 overall record and a 7-20-5 mark in Big Sky Conference play. He came to Idaho State with extensive coaching experience at the high school, club, Olympic Development Program (ODP), and NCAA Division I levels.
Upon Downey's hiring, Thiros said, "Coach Downey has an impressive body of work at the Division I level. He is known to be an exceptional recruiter and has been touted by elite players as their most influential coach. Dustin is a great technician, a culture builder, and his enthusiasm for the game and for student-athletes is tremendous. He is the right person to take Bengal Soccer into the future!"
A native of Owenton, Kentucky, Downey arrived at Idaho State after serving as head coach of Chicago FC United and spending two seasons at the University of Illinois Chicago. From 2019-20, he served as an assistant coach for the Flames, helping lead the program to a record-setting campaign that earned the 2019 Horizon League Coaching Staff of the Year honor after setting program records for home, road and conference victories. He was elevated to interim head coach for the abbreviated 2021 spring season, leading UIC to a 5-3-1 record and the best start in program history.
Prior to UIC, Downey spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky from 2012-19, where the Hilltoppers compiled a 64-44-19 record. During his tenure, he helped mentor one Conference Player of the Year, 29 All-Conference selections and six All-Region honorees. The coaching staff earned both Sun Belt and Conference USA Coaching Staff of the Year honors while guiding the program to five postseason appearances.
Downey also worked with the U.S. Soccer Federation from 2014-19 and served on the Kentucky Olympic Development Program staff from 2015-19.
As a player, Downey competed for three seasons at Western Kentucky before finishing his collegiate career at Northern Kentucky, helping lead the Norse, then an NCAA Division II program, to the national semifinals.
He later returned to Western Kentucky to complete his bachelor's degree in Broadcast Communications and Television Production.
Downey holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) A-Senior Coaching License and has worked toward becoming a USSF Coach Educator.
He and his wife, Kelley, have a daughter, Demi, and a miniature Goldendoodle named Winston.
