Tim Lenahan is the head men’s soccer coach at Northwestern University. He has been coaching there since the start of the 2001 season. He is widely regarded as one of the top coaches in the Big Ten, as he built the Northwestern program from a team that had been winless over 35 games in 2000 and 2001 to a national power. His teams have made nine NCAA tournament appearances in the past ten years. Northwestern has earned 128 wins over the past 11 seasons, including 15 in 2004, and 14 in 2006, 12 in 2007 and 15 in 2008.
In 2004, Northwestern burst on to the national scene ending Indiana’s 50 game Big Ten unbeaten streak. Northwestern has been 4-67-4 in Big Ten play up until the Indiana win and had not won a Big Ten game in 27 tries. The’ Cats won 15 games and qualified for th NCAA for the first time in school history. In 2006, Northwestern advanced to the Elite Eight of the CAA tournament, defeating Cincinnati, St. Louis and UNC Greensboro in the first three rounds. They lost in the fourth round to US Santa Barbara, 3-2 after leading the gam 2-1. In 2007, Northwestern climbed as high as No. 3 in the NSCAA polls and earned the first bye in their history when they were seeded No. 9 in the NCAA Tournament. Dave Roth was named the first All-American in Northwestern Soccer history. 2008 saw another run to the NCAA Elite Eight and a national ranking of as high as No. 2. They remained at the ranking of No. 2 for over a month and put together a 13-game unbeaten streak to start the season. After a tough final stretch, Northwestern rebounded in the NCAA Tournament to defeat Loyola, Notre Dame and Akron before falling to North Carolina in the Elite Eight in Chapel Hill. Their final ranking of No. 7 was an all-time best. In 2009, Northwestern responded with another strong season advancing to the Sweet Sixteen and a final RPI of 9th nationally. Mark Blades became the first two-time All-American in school history. Northwestern’s RPI over the four seasons from 2006-2009 ranked as the 5th best national trailing only Wake Forest, Indiana, Maryland and Virginia and are one of only five teams to make it as far as the Elite Eight twice in three years between 2006 and 2008.
Lenahan, in 2001 accomplished the rare undefeated double in winning the Big Ten Regular Season and Big Ten Tournament. In 2012, the Wildcats repeated as Big Ten Regular Season and reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. It was the fourth time Lenahan and Northwestern have reached ast least the Sweet Sixteen in the last seven years. Two more NCAA Appearances followed in 2013 and 2014 with the 2014 team losing just four time in nineteen opportunities.
Lenahan previously served as the head coach at Lafayette, turning their fortunes around winning four Patriot League Titles in his three years. Lenahan had taken over a team that had gone4-12 in each of the two years prior to his arrival. Prior to Lafayette, Lenahan built Stockton College into a DIII powerhouse going to the NCAA Tournament in 93, 94. 95 and 96, while also capturing Richard Stockton’s first NJAC Championship in 1996, Stockton had been 2-15 the previous year.
Lenahan has been named either conference or NSCAA regional Coach of the Year in 1990, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2004, and 2011. He is a two-time winner of the Bob Voigts Coach of the Year at Northwestern and the only male coach to win the award twice.
In 2013, Lenahan had the rare distinction of coaching in the Messi and Friends game as 10 Northwestern alums were called in last minute to save the internationally broadcast event from cancellation. One former alum, Matt Eliason, became a worldwide internet sensation after scoring on a full bicycle kick to upstage the great Messi in the goal of the day. The goal, which was the No. 1 play on Sports Center that day would go on to generate over 4 million YouTube hits. Eliason, who had been an Assistant Vice President and Investment Analyst at GE Capital quit his job to pursue a professional career. His journey is being covered by a movie production crew for an upcoming documentary. Lenahan served as assistant coach for both teams in the match.
Lenahan’s mentorship has proven to be a springboard for some of the nation’s top coaches. Former assistant coaches include current head coached at Stockton College, iona College, Lafayette College, Amherst College, Colgate University, Villanova, Xavier University, Benedictine and most recently Loyola University. In addition, current New York Red Bull Head Coach got his coaching career underway as a volunteer assistant at NU while playing for Chicago Fire.
