Paul Babba begins his second season as an assistant coach with the Elon Phoenix women's soccer coaching staff in 2019. Babba has seven years of collegiate head coaching experience and over 11 seasons of coaching at the collegiate level overall on his resume.
Babba joined the Elon women's soccer program in 2018 after spending two seasons as the head coach of Bryan College women's soccer in Dayton, Tenn. During his time at Bryan College, Babba was recognized for his success and was named the 2017 Appalachian Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after guiding Bryan to its winningest season in recorded history. The Lions finished with a 12-7 overall mark, which included a 9-2 record in AAC action, and the program also won its first-ever regular season conference title. Bryan also received votes in the NAIA National Poll at the end of the 2017 season.
Under Babba’s watch, four players earned major awards from the AAC and senior standout Ruth Rosales became the program’s first NSCAA All-American honorable mention, while earning AAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades. Six Bryan College players collected All-AAC recognition and six others were rewarded with All-Academic Team accolades.
In his season debut with Bryan College in 2016, Babba helped the Lions to a 10-10-2 overall mark, which at the time was the winningest season in recorded history. The team kept the momentum alive as the year came to a close, knocking off top-seeded teams in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament, which led to an appearance in the AAC Conference Championship match.
The Numan, Nigeria native, came to Bryan after spending five years as the head coach at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. While at Delta State, Babba played an integral part in leading the Lady Statesmen to their lowest goals against average in the history of the program. He also emphasized the pursuit of excellence off the field as the Lady Statesmen were a fixture in DSU's community service competition, The Champs Cup, where they were recognized for their academic commitments.
Prior to his time at Delta State, Babba served for four seasons as the assistant coach to head coach Darryl Longabaugh at Mississippi College. He spent the majority of the time focusing on the forwards and midfielders. He helped guide the Lady Choctaws in many successful seasons, producing a great amount of All-ASC performers. Babba also served as a club coach with the Mississippi Fire Juniors and had also previously held the post of director of coaching at the Brandon Soccer League.
Prior to his coaching career, Babba was a four-year starter at Belhaven College he finished his career as the Blazer's second all-time leading scorer with 37 total goals. He also compiled 18 assists for 92 total points during his time at Belhaven College.
His outstanding collegiate career opened the door for Babba to compete at the next level, playing two seasons with Mississippi Brilla F.C., a team in the Professional Development League (PDL).
While at Belhaven College, he studied sports administration, receiving his bachelor's degree in 2007. He continued his education, receiving his master's in intercollegiate athletic administration from Mississippi College in 2010.
He holds a USSF A-Senior License and a National Youth License. Babba and his wife Laura have three children, Noah, Micah and Hannah.
