Mississippi University for Women Director of Athletics Jason Trufant confirmed Sunday afternoon that The W women’s soccer coach Gray Massey has died.
Trufant said his wife received a phone call from Massey’s wife, Lauren, about 7 a.m. Sunday informing them Gray had died. It is unclear at this time when Massey passed away. He was 41.
Trufant said there is no definitive answer as to what caused Massey’s death.
“It is tough,” Trufant said Sunday afternoon. “He was a tremendous asset not only to this program but to this city.
“He was a friend of mine, and he understood what we were trying to do and where we’re trying to go. It is not fair.”
Funeral arrangements are unclear at this time. Trufant said The W will hold a memorial on campus to honor the life of Massey at a later date.
Massey was named coach of The W’s first women’s soccer team in November 2017. The W went 5-11 in its first season in 2018 and won four of its last five matches, including its last three.
Massey joined The W athletic department after five seasons as the coach of the East Central Community College women’s soccer team. Massey led the program to the semifinals of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges / National Junior College Athletic Association Region 23 tournament for the first time in the program history.
Massey, who was from Brandon, received a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Mississippi College in May 2001. He completed a master’s degree in coaching education at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, in 2013.
Prior to ECCC, Massey served as head coach for the girls and boys soccer team at Florence High School. His teams grabbed three consecutive state titles during his eight-year tenure.
Massey led the Lady Eagles soccer team to two-straight state championships, the most recent coming in 2013 with a 2-0 victory over West Lauderdale for the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A title. The 2012-13 Lady Eagles finished 16-5-3. The Lady Eagles also won district titles from 2007-2011 and finished South State finalist in 2007. Massey received District Coach of the Year honors in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Massey led the boys soccer program to a 2011 state championship and three South State championships in 2007, 2008, and 2011. The boys team also was South State finalist in 2006 and 2010 and North State finalist in 2013.
As the boys coach, he was honored as the 2012 National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Mississippi Coach of the Year, 2012 All-Star coach, 2011 Mississippi Association of Coaches Boys Soccer Coach of the Year and District Coach of the Year (2006-12).
Also during his time at Florence High, Massey was selected as the 2012 Teacher of the Year for his efforts in the classroom teaching U.S. History, Introduction to World Geography, and Mississippi Studies.
Massey’s resume included stints as coach for the Jackson Futbol Club and Aggieland Soccer Club. He also worked as a goalkeeper coach at Texas A&M Women’s Soccer Camp summer camps in College Station.
Massey was a former standout soccer player at Northwest Rankin High School. He received a soccer scholarship to Hinds C.C., where the goalkeeper was an All-Region 23 selection in 1996. He continued his success at Mississippi College in Clinton, where in 1998 he was named second-team All-Eastern Division in the American Southwest Conference.
Massey lived in Columbus with his wife and two children.
For more on this story, see The Dispatch’s print edition Monday and check back at www.cdispatch.com for an updated story.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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