Northwestern University Athletics
Lenahan Names Fleming Associate Head Coach
6/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
June 26, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern men's soccer coach Tim Lenahan completed his new coaching staff this month with the addition of associate head coach Andy Fleming who has spent the last nine years at Boston University. A native of Braintree Mass., Fleming replaces Tom Carlin who accepted a similar position at Villanova earlier this month.
"First of all, I would like to wish Tom the best of success at Villanova," Lenahan said. "Tom had a tremendous impact on our program and was instrumental in our run to the Elite Eight this past season. His dream job is to be the head coach at Villanova University and with his previous head coaching experience and experience as associate head coach at Northwestern, this move can help him move closer to fulfilling that dream.
"Andy is widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the country and has been recognized as such over the past five years by College Soccer News. His organization and recruiting skills will certainly add to our program and his winning mentality will fit in nicely with the players. We have had several great assistant coaches here who have gone on to great success as head coaches and I certainly think that Andy is in that category. We look forward to having him and his wife Amy as a part of the Northwestern soccer family."
Fleming, a 1997 graduate of Marist College, spent the last nine years as an assistant coach at Boston University--the last three as associate head coach. His efforts helped BU to winning seasons in eight of those nine years and in 21 of the past 22. During that time BU captured America East regular season crowns in 2001 and 2004, along with a second round NCAA appearance '04. The Terriers averaged 10 wins per season during his tenure with wins or ties 66 percent of the time.
During his tenure, the Terriers made multiple appearances in the national polls, including regular season appearances in 1998 (12th), 2001 (18th), 2002 (ranked for six straight weeks and as high as ninth), 2003, 2004 and 2006. Fleming also has had success against major conference teams, most recently last season as his Terriers, ranked seventh in team defense, picked up big wins against the likes of Boston College (ACC) and Ohio State while battling Penn State to a 1-1 tie on the road. He helped mentor former Terrier Zach Kirby to 2006 America East Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors in addition to a selection by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2007 Major League Soccer (MLS) Supplemental Draft.
As the program's recruiting coordinator, Fleming helped attract some top talents both in the states and overseas. Each of his past six classes received national recognition from College Soccer News, including the 2005 class, which was ranked a program-best 13th. That same class was the top-rated "mid-major recruiting class" by national high school sports website rivals.com.
For his efforts, Fleming has been recognized as one of the nation's top assistant coaches by College Soccer News on four occasions, and most recently was identified as one of college soccer's top recruiters by Rivals. Those recognitions helped earn him spots as a national scout for Adidas and their Elite Soccer Program, the nation's premier high school recruiting event, and also on the selection committee for the NSCAA National Assistant Coach of the Year award. In 2003, he was invited to serve as an assistant coach at the Major League Soccer Draft Combine. On the youth level, he teamed with BU head coach Neil Roberts to lead the South Shore United Blazers U15 team to the US Youth Soccer East region Title in 1999 and a spot as one of the nation's top four teams for its age group.
A former two-year captain at Marist College, Fleming developed a reputation as a fiery leader and helped lead the Red Foxes to a seventh place ranking in the New York State Region in his senior year (1996). Upon graduation, Fleming, a two-time Academic Honor Roll selection, joined the Marist staff in 1997 as an assistant coach. In his one year on the staff, Fleming's first class took Marist from two wins in 1997 to the MAAC Conference Championship and NCAA play-in game in 2000.
The Braintree, Mass., native was Archbishop Williams' first Boston Globe All-Scholastic selection in soccer and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in March 2004.
He and his wife, Amy, were married in 2005.
