DURANGO, Colo. – February 14, 2007 – Tim Hankinson, the former head coach of the Colorado Rapids,has been named the Fort Lewis College head men's soccer coach.
Hankinson plans to arrive in Durango and begin working as soon as possible. He came to Fort Lewis on Monday and Tuesday and received great reviews from the community, the team, the athletic department staff, and the college. On Tuesday evening he was offered and accepted the position.
“We are very excited to have coach Hankinson as our new men's soccer head coach,” said Director of Athletics Kent Stanley. “He's proven himself at all levels of the sport and has an enviable network in the soccer community. This is a great day for Skyhawk soccer and the Durango soccer community.”
After deciding at a young age that his passion was to be a coach, Hankinson has Hexperienced every level of soccer and recently confirmed his passion to coach at the college level. He graduated from the University of South Carolina and immediately made his way through his licensing tests.
His rapid ascent through the coaching ranks included successful stops at Alabama A&M, DePaul University, and Syracuse University. He then entered Major League Soccer (MLS) where he experienced head coaching stints with the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the Colorado Rapids. His career also includes head coaching rolls with the Nike Project-40 team and most recently returned to coaching young men in 2005 with the U-17 Guatemala national team.
“It's spectacular,” said Hankinson when asked about his visit to Fort Lewis and Durango. “First I need to meet with the team and get organized for spring training. Then I really need to get aggressive with recruiting.”
Fort Lewis College will be holding a press conference on Thursday, February 22nd at noon in room 119 of the Student Life Center (on the Fort Lewis College campus) to introduce the new coach. Director of Athletics, Kent Stanley, Fort Lewis College President, Dr. Brad Bartel, and current men's soccer players will also be present for questioning and commenting.
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