Northwestern University Athletics
Rich Nassif Returning to Men’s Soccer Program as Assistant Coach
3/23/2016 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
EVANSTON, Ill. — Rich Nassif, head coach of Benedictine University and a former assistant with Northwestern, will return to the Wildcats as an assistant coach, head coach Tim Lenahan announced Wednesday.
Nassif will replace former NU assistant coach Jeff Oleck, who was recently named the Director of Goalkeepers for the Colorado Storm.
"First I want to thank Jeff Oleck for all he did for Northwestern," said Lenahan. "He is an outstanding coach who did an fantastic job with our goalkeepers, scouting, video and recruiting. His work with Field of Dreams Uganda was an inspiration for all of us and we are happy for this opportunity for he and his wife Alex to grow professionally and to be closer to their family."
Nassif spent the last four seasons as the head coach of the men's soccer program at Benedictine, leading the Eagles to a 33-38-3 record overall, including a 26-13-2 mark in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.
The Eagles went a combined 16-2-2 in 2013 and 2014, earning a share of the NACC regular season championship in 2013 and advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament each season.
He was named the NACC Coach of the Year in 2013 after the Eagles went 8-1-1 in conference play to earn a share of the NACC regular season title.
"Having Rich Nassif come back is really special for this program," Lenahan added. "No player has bled more purple in his career than Rich Nassif. He started as a walk-on, captained us to an Elite Eight appearance, served as Director of Operations and then was with us as an assistant coach when we won the double Big Ten Championship. He comes back to us now having successful head coaching experience at Benedictine where he built them into a regional power and was named NACC Coach of the Year in 2013. I know the alumni are excited about having him back and I think the current group of players will benefit from his unique experiences as a former Northwestern student-athlete. We look forward to welcoming he and his wife Sara [former Northwestern lacrosse player Sara Harrington] back in the family."
Nassif began his Northwestern career as a walk-on student-athlete and was ultimately named a captain prior to his senior campaign. He began his professional tenure as the program's Director of Operations in 2007 and went on to spend three seasons as an assistant coach from 2009-2011. The Wildcats won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles for the first time in school history in 2011 and finished the season ranked No. 22 in the country before Nassif took the head coaching job at Benedictine prior to the 2012 season.
He worked with the goalkeepers daily and mentored Misha Rosenthal as well as 2011 First Team All-Big Ten and Freshman All-American selection Tyler Miller.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity to return to Northwestern and coach alongside Tim, Joe, and Ovidio," Nassif said. "My wife and I hold Northwestern very close to our hearts and we are thrilled to represent the university once again. This program offers a truly unique college soccer experience at one of the nation's finest academic institutions and in the nation's most competitive athletic conference. I cannot wait to further enhance that experience and advance Northwestern's success at the Big Ten and NCAA levels."
After playing their home games at Toyota Park last season due to renovations to their home field, the Wildcats will return to Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium for the 2016 season. The program's 2016 schedule will be released in the coming months.
Nassif will replace former NU assistant coach Jeff Oleck, who was recently named the Director of Goalkeepers for the Colorado Storm.
"First I want to thank Jeff Oleck for all he did for Northwestern," said Lenahan. "He is an outstanding coach who did an fantastic job with our goalkeepers, scouting, video and recruiting. His work with Field of Dreams Uganda was an inspiration for all of us and we are happy for this opportunity for he and his wife Alex to grow professionally and to be closer to their family."
Nassif spent the last four seasons as the head coach of the men's soccer program at Benedictine, leading the Eagles to a 33-38-3 record overall, including a 26-13-2 mark in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.
The Eagles went a combined 16-2-2 in 2013 and 2014, earning a share of the NACC regular season championship in 2013 and advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament each season.
He was named the NACC Coach of the Year in 2013 after the Eagles went 8-1-1 in conference play to earn a share of the NACC regular season title.
"Having Rich Nassif come back is really special for this program," Lenahan added. "No player has bled more purple in his career than Rich Nassif. He started as a walk-on, captained us to an Elite Eight appearance, served as Director of Operations and then was with us as an assistant coach when we won the double Big Ten Championship. He comes back to us now having successful head coaching experience at Benedictine where he built them into a regional power and was named NACC Coach of the Year in 2013. I know the alumni are excited about having him back and I think the current group of players will benefit from his unique experiences as a former Northwestern student-athlete. We look forward to welcoming he and his wife Sara [former Northwestern lacrosse player Sara Harrington] back in the family."
Nassif began his Northwestern career as a walk-on student-athlete and was ultimately named a captain prior to his senior campaign. He began his professional tenure as the program's Director of Operations in 2007 and went on to spend three seasons as an assistant coach from 2009-2011. The Wildcats won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles for the first time in school history in 2011 and finished the season ranked No. 22 in the country before Nassif took the head coaching job at Benedictine prior to the 2012 season.
He worked with the goalkeepers daily and mentored Misha Rosenthal as well as 2011 First Team All-Big Ten and Freshman All-American selection Tyler Miller.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity to return to Northwestern and coach alongside Tim, Joe, and Ovidio," Nassif said. "My wife and I hold Northwestern very close to our hearts and we are thrilled to represent the university once again. This program offers a truly unique college soccer experience at one of the nation's finest academic institutions and in the nation's most competitive athletic conference. I cannot wait to further enhance that experience and advance Northwestern's success at the Big Ten and NCAA levels."
After playing their home games at Toyota Park last season due to renovations to their home field, the Wildcats will return to Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium for the 2016 season. The program's 2016 schedule will be released in the coming months.
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