Northwestern University Athletics
Tim Lenahan Named Men's Soccer Coach
3/19/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
March 19, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University athletic director Rick Taylor announced today the hiring of Tim Lenahan as the Wildcats' new men's soccer head coach. Lenahan replaces Michael Kunert who resigned in February after 19 years at NU.
"We are very pleased to announce Tim Lenahan as our new men's soccer coach," said Taylor. "He is a proven head coach who has had tremendous success building soccer programs. We expect Tim to take men's soccer at NU to the next level."
Lenahan comes to NU from Lafayette College where in just three seasons his teams won two Patriot League regular season titles, two postseason crowns and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. His career record stands at an impressive 126-68-20 (.636) and is currently ranked fourth in winning percentage among Division I coaches with less than five years at the Division I level.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to coach at Northwestern University," said Lenahan. "I've enjoyed rebuilding programs in my career and I believe with the academics, location and now the athletic commitment to men's soccer that the future looks bright for Northwestern soccer."
In his first season at Lafayette, Lenahan led the Leopards from the depths of a 4-12 season in 1997 to a 16-5 overall mark and the Patriot League regular-season and postseason tournament titles. His Lafayette team capped the third-best turnaround in NCAA history with a berth into the NCAA Tournament where Lafayette faced No. 1 ranked Clemson. Lenahan was voted by his peers as the Patriot League Coach of the Year, NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year and a finalist for NSCAA National Coach of the Year.
In 1999, Lafayette became one of three teams in the nation to repeat as conference champions, as the fourth-seeded Leopards captured the Patriot League Tournament. Lafayette again qualified for NCAA play where it fell to No. 17 UMBC.
The 2000 season saw the Leopards, in spite of the graduation of eight starters, capture yet another Patriot League regular season championship and came within penalty kicks in the Patriot League Tournament finals of their third consecutive tournament crown.
Prior to Lafayette, Lenahan led Richard Stockton College of New Jersey to four appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and he developed the program into a national power. Lenahan was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference's Coach of the Year in 1990, 1993 and 1996 after inheriting a team that had gone 2-15 the season prior to his arrival.
Lenahan is a 1983 graduate of Stockton with a bachelor of science degree in computer science. He completed his master's degree in human services and sports administration at Rider University in 1992.
