Bio

As a titan of collegiate athletics in the State of Maine, Dr. Richard “Doc” Costello shaped the sporting landscape at Gorham State Teachers College (now the University of Southern Maine) over a career that spanned nearly five decades. Often credited as “the father of college soccer in Maine,” Costello instituted the state’s first organized varsity collegiate soccer program at Gorham State Teachers College in 1957. He served as its initial head coach, paving the way for the sport’s collegiate expansion statewide. Promoted to Director of Athletics in 1955, a position he held until 1990, Costello expanded the athletic department from a handful of offerings into a robust program, adding varsity sports such as cross-country, tennis, golf, skiing, sailing, and ice hockey. He played a foundational role in transitioning the university into the NCAA and ECAC. He co-founded the Western Maine Athletic Conference and served as a founder and the first commissioner of the Little East Conference. He also founded the Men’s Summer Soccer League in the Portland Area in 1970. His primary impact on instruction came through training future physical education teachers and coaches in the classroom at Gorham State Teachers College, who then went on to run high school programs and local youth clinics across Maine. Costello’s direct clinical leadership was largely centered around collegiate organizational structures, officiating development, and multi-sport athletic leadership. The hands-on technical soccer clinics that elevated Maine high school coaching in the 1960s and 70s were a direct result of Dr. Costello’s involvement. Through a historic $1.65 million bequest to USM, his estate continues to support and upgrade athletic facilities—including outdoor playing fields used by student-athletes—long after his passing in 2008. The university honored his immense contributions to athletics and soccer by naming the primary athletic facility in Gorham the Costello Sports Complex. Beyond coaching, he helped shape regional collegiate athletic associations and governance, promoting soccer’s inclusion alongside traditional New England college sports. He has been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame, Maine Sports Hall of Fame, and USM Hall of Fame.