Sam Bermingham, Colorado College, Men's Soccer

SAM BERMINGHAM OF COLORADO COLLEGE, a senior midfielder on the men’s soccer team from Panama City, Panama, has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Character and Community Male Student Athlete of the Week for the week beginning October 21.

The SCAC Character & Community award honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.



If you want to know about someone’s character, all you need to do is look at how they deal with challenges and adversity.

Bermingham never has been afraid to take a risk. In fact, he embraces the opportunities provided by new adventures.

Born in Panama where his father worked for the Smithsonian Institution, Bermingham holds dual citizenship with Panama and the United States. He travelled more than 3,500 miles from his home in Gamboa, headquarters of the Panama Canal Authority’s Dredging Division, to attend Fountain Valley School, the world class boarding school in Colorado Springs.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Colorado College partly because his sisters – Sarah and Georgia – both attended the school, as did family friend Tommy Riley, who played soccer for the Tigers from 2013-16.

While visiting his sisters, Bermingham was introduced to CC’s rigorous Block Plan, as well as some of the men’s soccer players. That was more than enough to convince him to spend his next four years at Colorado College. 

Few things in life will be as challenging as balancing the academic load at one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country with the demands of competing for a nationally prominent athletic team.

Before classes ever started, Bermingham earned a spot on Scott Palguta’s squad as a walk-on and went on to appear in six games for 140 minutes during his freshman season.

The following year, Bermingham saw a significant increase in playing time and appeared in 20 games, including 14 as a starter.

Bermingham’s resolve was tested during his junior year, first while playing through a torn labrum in his hip and then after suffering a broken collarbone during the season opener against the University of Texas at Dallas.

Instead of withdrawing from the team, he became part of a trio of injured Tigers who became the team’s vocal and inspirational leaders while working toward comebacks for their senior seasons. 

He was able to volunteer with campus activities such as New Student Orientation and Parents’ Night Out, but his soccer career was put on hold.

Wanting to get the most out of their academic experience, Bermingham, Hayden Cogswell and Aidan Longhurst decided to travel abroad during the spring semester to study in Granada, Spain.

While there, he returned to the United States for hip surgery, and then went back to Spain to continue his studies and complete his rehabilitation.

Together, Bermingham, Cogswell and Longhurst became each other’s support unit and pushed each other to reach their full potential during their final collegiate season.

Obviously, their efforts were an unequivocal success. Bermingham’s rehab and training went so well that he was cleared to play prior to the first game of the season – two months ahead of his original schedule.

Bermingham currently leads the SCAC with seven assists and is tied for third on the team with 11 points.

He scored his first goal in nearly two years at perennial national power Ohio Wesleyan University, and his goal at Johnson & Wales sent the game to overtime and led to Griffin Meyer’s overtime game winner. 

Bermingham also set up three goals during the 5-4 win over Centenary College.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Tigers are at the top of the SCAC table and need just one more point to lock up a spot in the six-team conference championship.

Bermingham, who owns a 3.4 grade-point average in Economics, plans to pursue opportunities in the business world before attending graduate school in the not-too-distant future.