While this time of year the Dartmouth men's soccer squad is usually concentrating on their off-season training regimen, this week they have something else on their mind -- the departure of head coach Fran O'Leary.
O'Leary was introduced yesterday as the new head coach at George Mason University in Virginia, taking the helm at a program that was coached by Gordon Bradley for 16 years. The Patriots went 8-10-1 overall and finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association last season.
O'Leary leaves Hanover after seven seasons, compiling a record of 56-50-14, making him the third-winningest coach in Dartmouth history. This past season O'Leary led the Big Green to a 10-6 record and the first round of the NCAA tournament, where they fell to eventual National Champion Connecticut.
It is clear the Dartmouth soccer community will miss Coach O'Leary.
"It's a tough loss for the program," said incoming captain Matt Miller '03, who was an honorable mention All-Ivy last fall. "As he has an incredible impact and was vital this season in helping us rebound from a 3-9-4 season in 1999 and bringing us to the NCAA tournament and within one game of an Ivy title this year."
O'Leary came to Dartmouth in 1994, replacing legendary coach Bobby Clarke, who moved on to Stanford, where he took the Cardinal to the NCAA title game in 1998, and now Notre Dame. So following in the footsteps of an institution like Bradley, should be old hat for O'Leary.
He has also put together quite an impressive resume for himself over his coaching career. In 12 years of coaching, O'Leary has compiled an overall record of 126-63-20 for an impressive .650 career winning percentage.
Before arriving at Dartmouth O'Leary was the head coach at Kenyon College in Ohio for two seasons, where he compiled a 32-4-4 record. Before that, O'Leary was at the helm of Elmira College (NY) for three years, garnering a 38-11-2 record, and bringing the team its first regional and national rankings ever.
O'Leary also served as an assistant coach at Boston College.
A native of Dublin, Ireland, O'Leary has not only shown success in concrete terms with his win-loss record, he has influenced countless players with his unique brand of coaching style and tenacious recruiting.
"As a player, Coach [O'Leary] was instrumental in my development over the last four years," said Nick Magnuson '01, who captained last fall's team. "He brought a different perspective on the game and made all of his players better because of it."
While the players and athletic staff said they are sorry to see him go and wish him well in his new position, they must now focus on the task at hand -- finding a replacement.
Though it is too early to speculate about names of who will be in the hunt for the position, Dartmouth athletic director Dick Jaeger '59 has already started the ball rolling in the selection process.
"Our goal is to not miss many steps on the way to improving the program," Jaeger said.
Jaeger noted that a number of former Dartmouth players who are currently assistant coaches elsewhere have already been recommended to him. He also said that he is trying to spread the word that a topnotch position is open. A number of former Dartmouth assistants have also been mentioned as possibilities.
The team is anxious to find a new coach, but is not too worried about it.
"Having a coach leave is extremely tough, but our team's unique bond will inevitably bring success, no matter who the coach is," said Matt LaBarre '04, who was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in the fall. "We are extremely curious to find out who the coach is going to be, but right now we are focused on training and preparing for next year's season."
Which is exactly what they should be doing this time of year.
