Dave's soccer pedigree begins in Maine, where he grew up. He was a first generation player for a Kickers-like program run through the Boys Club/Girls Club in his home town of 20,000 people.

Although Dave's high school soccer team did not fare well, Dave starred as a forward, getting seven of the nine goals his team scored during his senior year. He is quick to identify his high school soccer coach as someone who taught him the importance of respecting your opponent, being a student/athlete, and being humble (of course, going 0-22-2 during his junior and senior years helps too!).

During his collegiate career, at Earlham College, a small NAIA-affiliated school, he played a variety of positions, including goalkeeper. He was a member of the Earlham Hustlin' Quaker team that advanced to the regional finals during his junior year.

Following graduation Dave's first Spanish teaching job brought him to a small Quaker high school in the Washington, D.C. suburbs where, among other responsibilities, he had his first coaching experience. During his 5 years of coaching there, the girls soccer team at Sandy Spring Friends School's win-loss percentage improved dramatically.

While in the D.C. area Dave played in a competitive co-ed soccer league. "It was great fun. We had to field 5 players of each gender and the 11th player could be male or female. Our team had former college female players from University of Virginia, Brown, North Carolina, and Maryland. Because other teams didn't integrate their women players into the course of play as we did, we used to dominate the league!"

Higher education brought Dave and his wife, Morgan, and their dog, Kelsey, to Iowa City in 1992. Morgan put Dave through school in two years and then he was fortunate enough to find a teaching job in Iowa City. Dave currently teaches Spanish at West High and has coached the Women of Troy soccer team for six years. At West his teams have won two MVC divisional championships, finished fourth in the 1999 state tournament, and was runner-up in the 2000 state tournament, losing in a shootout.

He joined the Alliance Soccer Club in 1996, and began coaching the boys u-15 team, which he has followed through to their graduation this year (2001). "That team has seen many different changes in personnel, but it's been interesting to work with them for all of their high school years."