Northwestern University Athletics
Coaches Corner: Tim Lenahan
11/5/2015 2:09:00 PM | Men's Soccer
As the Northwestern men's soccer program prepares for the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday at Rutgers, NUSports.com caught up with head coach Tim Lenahan to talk about his philosophy as a coach, what he looks for in the young men he brings to the program and how being a coach at Northwestern is a dream come following his years of writing air-traffic control software in C++ and Unix.
What is the philosophy of Northwestern soccer?
"We want to recruit character guys. We want to focus on our four mantras. One, dictate the way the game is played and play the game on our terms. Now that could mean we sit in and absorb some pressure, but that is our decision. Two, we want to be efficient and unselfish offensively. Three, we want to be organized and disciplined defensively. And four, we are never going to surrender.
In order to do those things, you really have to recruit character kids that believe in the program, the mission of the program and the way we do things around here. To be able to put the team first, there is a personality that the family has instilled in them. The kid understands there is accountability and responsibility."
What lasting impression do you want to leave on your student-athletes after they've been a part of the program for four years?
"I really enjoy the time after the graduation and becoming friends with these guys. Realizing that as you are pushing them, half the time you're mad and you're just pretending that you're mad like a parent does. As they leave here and the time sinks in, I want them to think about the incredible experience they had here, what unbelievable people they were surrounded with in terms of their teammates and take with them all the things they've learned. To be able to accomplish some things with maybe not being the most talented team every year is pretty special."
How much has your philosophy changed over the years as the landscape of the college game has changed?
"This is my third program, so I'm really proud of the other two programs and the culture they have been able to maintain. In both cases, my assistant coach took over and in one case they are already retired and a player who I helped recruit has taken over. There is a special culture at both Lafayette and Stockton that are pretty cool. You keep saying it has to change, but the more you change the more you remember you have to get back to what has made you successful. Every once in awhile, one of these character guys you recruit is going to be a little better than a character guy. For us, we want to be consistent every year. This year was a challenging year for us and we still finished third. Over the last 10 years, no team has been more consistent than where we have finished in the Big Ten."
Did you expect to take the program to such high heights when you took over 15 years ago?
"20 years ago I was sitting in a cubicle writing air-traffic control software in C++ and Unix and I was a part-time Division III coach. Every day is a dream for me. Not only that we're here, but also that I'm here in this job. You hope you can bring similar philosophies and the more you read about successful organizations, you see there is a common culture. Can you make the program bigger than the individual? If you look at the San Antonio Spurs, I love Gregg Popovich. He is direct and straightforward. He has the luxury to coach 35-year old men whose brains are fully developed in terms of understanding what he is doing for them. Our guys don't always understand in the moment, but usually by their senior year or a couple years removed they understand what we are trying to do here. I was hopeful that past success would equal success here, but I wanted to try to prove myself at the highest level."
What did it mean to you to earn win No. 150 at Northwestern?
"I didn't even realize that. It's not about win 150 at Northwestern. The fact that we have averaged 10 wins a season with the first two averaging four and only one win in my first year. I look at more at the 26 years I've been doing this. It's great that we've done it at Northwestern, but I would hope I have 150 wins in 15 years or I probably wouldn't be here. I'm proud of the way we've done it. It is challenge to be outgunned a little bit sometimes and still be able to be successful. To get the most out of your kids is not easy at times. It's hard and it's hard for them. In four of the last five years we have played for a championship on the last day of the regular season and in two of the seasons we came away with it."
When you shut soccer off, what is the life of Tim Lenahan like?
"I have a ton of friends that I have met over the years from the east coast and I come from a big family. I enjoy being a bad golfer. I head back east a lot. That is my happy spot, suffering through Philadelphia sports right now with fellow Philadelphia sports fans. I enjoy following the teams and the guys who come through our coaching tree and am really proud of their successes. There is really a cycle to coaching and sometimes you just have to shut it down. Hopefully this season doesn't end for a month or so, but when it does we'll find a place to shut it down and reflect."
What is the philosophy of Northwestern soccer?
"We want to recruit character guys. We want to focus on our four mantras. One, dictate the way the game is played and play the game on our terms. Now that could mean we sit in and absorb some pressure, but that is our decision. Two, we want to be efficient and unselfish offensively. Three, we want to be organized and disciplined defensively. And four, we are never going to surrender.
In order to do those things, you really have to recruit character kids that believe in the program, the mission of the program and the way we do things around here. To be able to put the team first, there is a personality that the family has instilled in them. The kid understands there is accountability and responsibility."
What lasting impression do you want to leave on your student-athletes after they've been a part of the program for four years?
"I really enjoy the time after the graduation and becoming friends with these guys. Realizing that as you are pushing them, half the time you're mad and you're just pretending that you're mad like a parent does. As they leave here and the time sinks in, I want them to think about the incredible experience they had here, what unbelievable people they were surrounded with in terms of their teammates and take with them all the things they've learned. To be able to accomplish some things with maybe not being the most talented team every year is pretty special."
How much has your philosophy changed over the years as the landscape of the college game has changed?
"This is my third program, so I'm really proud of the other two programs and the culture they have been able to maintain. In both cases, my assistant coach took over and in one case they are already retired and a player who I helped recruit has taken over. There is a special culture at both Lafayette and Stockton that are pretty cool. You keep saying it has to change, but the more you change the more you remember you have to get back to what has made you successful. Every once in awhile, one of these character guys you recruit is going to be a little better than a character guy. For us, we want to be consistent every year. This year was a challenging year for us and we still finished third. Over the last 10 years, no team has been more consistent than where we have finished in the Big Ten."
Did you expect to take the program to such high heights when you took over 15 years ago?
"20 years ago I was sitting in a cubicle writing air-traffic control software in C++ and Unix and I was a part-time Division III coach. Every day is a dream for me. Not only that we're here, but also that I'm here in this job. You hope you can bring similar philosophies and the more you read about successful organizations, you see there is a common culture. Can you make the program bigger than the individual? If you look at the San Antonio Spurs, I love Gregg Popovich. He is direct and straightforward. He has the luxury to coach 35-year old men whose brains are fully developed in terms of understanding what he is doing for them. Our guys don't always understand in the moment, but usually by their senior year or a couple years removed they understand what we are trying to do here. I was hopeful that past success would equal success here, but I wanted to try to prove myself at the highest level."
What did it mean to you to earn win No. 150 at Northwestern?
"I didn't even realize that. It's not about win 150 at Northwestern. The fact that we have averaged 10 wins a season with the first two averaging four and only one win in my first year. I look at more at the 26 years I've been doing this. It's great that we've done it at Northwestern, but I would hope I have 150 wins in 15 years or I probably wouldn't be here. I'm proud of the way we've done it. It is challenge to be outgunned a little bit sometimes and still be able to be successful. To get the most out of your kids is not easy at times. It's hard and it's hard for them. In four of the last five years we have played for a championship on the last day of the regular season and in two of the seasons we came away with it."
When you shut soccer off, what is the life of Tim Lenahan like?
"I have a ton of friends that I have met over the years from the east coast and I come from a big family. I enjoy being a bad golfer. I head back east a lot. That is my happy spot, suffering through Philadelphia sports right now with fellow Philadelphia sports fans. I enjoy following the teams and the guys who come through our coaching tree and am really proud of their successes. There is really a cycle to coaching and sometimes you just have to shut it down. Hopefully this season doesn't end for a month or so, but when it does we'll find a place to shut it down and reflect."
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