Head Soccer Coach
Pepe Aragon
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- Email:
- aragonpl@herkimer.edu
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- Year:
- 28th
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- Title:
- Head Coach
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- Phone:
- (315) 866-0300 ext. 8388
Bio
Head Coach: Pepe Aragon
Men’s Soccer | 28th Season (2025)
The 2025 season marks Pepe Aragon’s 28th year as head coach of the Herkimer College men’s soccer program —one of the most successful in NJCAA history. Since taking over in 1998, Aragon has built a powerhouse that has captured seven NJCAA national championships and 20 consecutive Region III titles between 1998 and 2017.
Under Aragon’s leadership, the Generals have reached the NJCAA Division III National Championship game 12 times, including a 7–0 quarterfinal win in 2019 that marked his 400th career victory. Herkimer has also earned five national runner-up finishes, ten third-place finishes, and 13 total Final Four appearances. In Spring 2021, the Generals secured Aragon’s 22nd Region III title and finished 3rd nationally with a 6–1–2 record.
Aragon holds a career record of 455–49–20, making him one of the winningest coaches in junior college soccer. He’s been named Adidas/NSCAA National Coach of the Year five times (1999, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2011)—second only to NCAA Division I legend Jerry Yeagley. He is also a multiple-time Region III Coach of the Year and Mountain Valley Conference Coach of the Year.
Aragon has developed over 65 NSCAA and NJCAA All-Americans, including seven NSCAA National Players of the Year. His influence extends beyond Herkimer as well—he serves as:
• President, NJCAA Men’s Soccer Coaches Association
• President, Region III Men’s Soccer Coaches Association
• Chairman, NJCAA and NSCAA National Rankings Committee
• Chairman, NSCAA Division III All-American Committee
His contributions to the sport have been widely recognized. Aragon was named to the NJCAA All-Century Team in 2000, inducted into the NJCAA National Soccer Hall of Fame as a player in 2008, and awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service the same year. He’s also received the Lew Andreas Award for community service and captained the Central Empire State Games team to gold in 2002. He was also named an NJCAA Coaches Legacy Award Recipient in 2025, one of 15 NJCAA Men's Soccer Coaches recognized.
A Binghamton native, Aragon was an NSCAA High School All-American before starring at Herkimer, where he earned NJCAA and NSCAA All-American honors. He transferred to Bowling Green State University on an athletic scholarship, becoming a two-time All-Mid-American Conference selection and helping the Falcons to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in over two decades.
After college, Aragon played professionally with the Canton Invaders (NPSL) and the Cleveland Caps (USISL) before returning to Herkimer to begin his coaching career. He holds an NSCAA National Coaching License.
In addition to coaching, Aragon is a full-time Associate Professor in the Health and Physical Education Department at Herkimer College. He holds degrees from Herkimer (A.S.), Bowling Green State (B.S.), and SUNY Cortland (M.S.). He resides in New Hartford with his wife Anastacia, daughter Natalia, and son Pepe.