Northwestern University Athletics
Lenahan Agrees to Five-Year Contract Extension
4/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
April 22, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University Director of Athletics and Recreation Jim Phillips has announced that head men's soccer coach Tim Lenahan has agreed to a five-year contract extension through the 2015 season. Lenahan has served as the Wildcats' head coach for the last nine seasons.
"To be certain, I am thrilled to announce that we have come to an agreement with Coach Tim Lenahan to remain our head men's soccer coach for at least the next five years," said Phillips. "What Tim has accomplished in his time here at Northwestern is truly amazing. When you consider the fact that the program didn't win a single game the year prior to his arrival and it is now a consistent national power, it's quite remarkable. I can't wait to see what the future holds for the Northwestern men's soccer program with Tim at the helm.
"Similar to Pat Fitzgerald and Kelly Amonte Hiller, this represents our steadfast commitment into attracting and retaining the very best coaches in the country."
"I want to thank Jim Phillips and President Schapiro for trusting me to lead the program for the next five years," Lenahan said. "The last decade at Northwestern has been wonderful. The Chicago area is a great place to live, Northwestern has first-class facilities, a great support system and exceptional student-athletes. To be honest, there is no place where I would rather coach. The success we have achieved in the last nine years has been exhilarating, but I still think there is more to accomplish. I am so grateful to be able to be the coach who will hopefully get us there."
Northwestern has accumulated a 92-68-23 record during Lenahan's nine seasons and Coach Lenahan has a 218-136-41 record in 20 overall seasons as a collegiate head coach.
Lenahan came to Evanston from Lafayette College at the beginning of the 2001 season and took over a program that had gone 0-17-1 the previous season. After enduring a one-win season in his first year at the helm, Lenahan helped the Wildcats reach the NCAA tournament for the first time by the 2004 campaign. Two years later, Northwestern stunned the soccer community by advancing all the way to the NCAA quarterfinal round.
NU earned a No. 9 national seed for the NCAA tournament in 2007 and was ranked as high as third in the national rankings. Northwestern vaulted to No. 2 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll the following season and again came within one win of advancing to the College Cup. The 2009 season marked the Wildcats' fourth consecutive season of reaching the NCAA tournament and their fifth berth over a six-year span. The team was again seeded ninth overall in the tournament field, matching the 2007 squad's seed.
Under Lenahan's watch, David Roth and Mark Blades became the first two players in school history to earn All-America honors, with Blades earning the distinction twice.
Lenahan's teams have also excelled in the classroom. In the past five years, Wildcat student-athletes accumulated an amazing 72 Academic All-Big Ten distinctions, while Drew Ratner and Carl Pett were both named ESPN the Magazine Second-Team Academic All-Americans in 2008 and Matt Eliason earned the same honor in 2009. The program has been recognized by the NCAA the past four years for being among the top 10 percent of men's soccer programs in the country in multi-year Academic Progress Report (APR) scores. The Wildcats also received of the NSCAA Team Academic Award each of the last nine years.
Lenahan's teams have also been active in the community, in particular with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The 2008 team had the great fortune of sharing its run to the NCAA quarterfinal round with Russell Witek, whose courageous battle with cancer was an inspiration to everyone associated with the program.
"Tim is a tremendous ambassador for Northwestern University," said Phillips. "One of the things that impresses me most about the men's soccer team is that they truly are a family. In addition to their success on the field, they are committed to their work in the classroom and are also great citizens."
Lenahan Inducted Into South Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame
Tim Lenahan was inducted into the South Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame Saturday, April 25. He was honored for his contributions at his alma mater, Richard Stockton College.
Lenahan served as an assistant coach for the Richard Stockton men's team from 1984-88 before becoming the head coach of the women's team for the 1988 season. After serving as an assistant coach for one season at Rider, he returned to Richard Stockton as the head men's coach from 1990-97.
Lenahan guided the Ospreys to four NCAA Division III tournament appearances and was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference's Coach of the Year in 1990, 1993 and 1996.
He was also instrumental in initiating a marketing campaign which got the Saudi Arabian National Team to use Richard Stockton as a World Cup training facility, including using the school's facility for a World Cup exhibition match.
The coach of the Saudi team, Argentine Eduardo Solari, later sent his son, Santiago Solari, to play for a semester at Stockton. With Lenahan in attendance at the game, Solari went on to win a Champions League Trophy while playing for Real Madrid and continued his career at Inter Milan. Solari maintains a close friendship with Lenahan to this day.
Ten of Lenahan's former assistants have gone on to become head coaches at the collegiate level.
