Gonzaga University Athletics

In January 2025, Chris McGaughey was named the interim head coach of men's soccer.

McGaughey joined the Gonzaga coaching staff prior to the 2023 season after serving as an assistant coach at CSU Bakersfield and a collegiate and professional playing career.

McGaughey was part of the CSUB coaching staff since 2018 and helped lead the Roadrunners to four post-season tournaments in four seasons of competition, including a trip to the Western Athletic Conference semifinals in 2019. In addition to his involvement in all aspects of the coaching process, McGaughey led the CSUB Soccer mentoring program, placing current student-athletes with local organizations to drive youth engagement with the sport of soccer and reinforce the importance of education and hard work. 

McGaughey began his collegiate career at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas where he was a two-time First Team All-America selection and led the Apaches to the 2012 NJCAA National Championship. He went on to play at Missouri-Kansas City for two seasons, earning team MVP honors as a senior in 2014 when he played every minute in the Kangaroo goal, posting a 1.37 goals against average and a career-best 90 saves. He finished his UMKC career with 12 victories and five clean sheets. After graduation, McGaughey spent four seasons competing for Portadown FC in the Irish Premiership.
 
"I am incredibly grateful to Coach Aaron for the opportunity to join a top institution and program like Gonzaga," McGaughey said. "I know the ambition that this staff, team and athletic department share, and I am fully committed to adding to this in any way that I can. My family and I are very excited to be joining the Gonzaga and Spokane community and I am looking forward to getting started." 

A native of Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, Coach McGaughey will reside in Spokane with his wife, April, their daughter, Elizabeth, and son, Finn. McGaughey earned his Bachelor of Science in Sociology, with a focus on Anthropology, from UMKC in 2015 and a Master of Public Administration from CSUB in 2020.