File photoAthens head coach Ron Oakley is retiring from a 40-year teaching career. For the last 16 years, he has served as Athens boys head coach. Above, Oakley, left, consoles Christopher Gregory after the team lost to Briarwood in the 2013 state semifinals.

When Ron Oakley took over the Athens boys soccer program in 2001, the team had never been to the playoffs, much less the state tournament. Athens was known as a football school that played soccer in the spring.

Oakley immediately changed that by advancing to the 5A final four in his first season. Over the next 16 years, Athens would make the playoffs 13 times, including four state tournament appearances. The longtime AHS coach will retire from teaching after 40 years at the end of this month, leaving a void in the Athens soccer program.

“The level of soccer has increased greatly in the last 16 years,” said Oakley. “When I took over, we wanted Athens to be in the conversation when people talked about soccer in North Alabama.”

In his first season in charge, Athens — a team that had never qualified for the postseason in 10 years of existence — advanced all the way to the Class 5A final four.

“We weren’t very technically skilled, but they were real athletic. It was just a group that refused to lose,” said Oakley. “Soccer was developing at that time and it just happen to come at a time when we had some really good athletes.”

Over the next few years, Oakley’s teams proved that 2001 was not a fluke. Athens advanced to the state tournament in Huntsville two of the next three seasons, winning a school-record 20 games in 2003.

“It was exciting,” remembers Oakley. “We didn’t really feel pressure. We just knew we enjoyed it and wanted to do it again. We had a really good run of good players during that span. It was a special run, but it made us realize that, ‘Hey, we can do this.’”

Athens would not make the state tournament again until 2013, but were a perennial playoff team, including a run from 2011-2015 when the team won five consecutive area championships. The 2013 team set a new school record by finishing the regular season undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the AHSAA Coaches Poll.

Athen were once again pitted against Briarwood in the state tournament, a team that eliminated them several times in the final four. The team suffered a close 1-0 defeat in that game and it’s one that Oakley will likely never forget.

“We were undefeated going into that match,” said Oakley said . “That was our only loss and it was one that we did everything except win the game.”

Ramon Jurado was a member of that 2013 team that set a new school record for wins in one season (21). He was one of many Athens players selected for All-State or the North-South All-Star game under Oakley.

“He always pushed us to be the best we could be, not only on the field, but as a person. He always treated us with respect,” Jurado. “We were a team and coach Oakley knew how to manage that. We talked a lot off the field. He invited us to his home, his church with open arms.”

Assistants helped

Like all good coaches, Oakley is quick to pass the credit for the program’s success to others. The longtime coach has had help from many assistant coaches over the year including Doug Harbin, Jim Pate, Drew Bowman, Jeff Hooker, Mike Reynolds, Andrew McCartney, John Burkhead and Craig Stults.

Along with having the opportunity to coach his son, Chris, from 2001-03, Oakley said the thing he enjoyed most was forming lasting bonds with those he coached.

“Getting to know the players and their families. The part that I will miss most is the relationships you develop,” said Oakley.

While he will be officially retired from coaching when the school year closes, Oakley hasn’t completely closed the door on coaching. Whether he returns to coaching or not, the Athens soccer program will never be the same.