Fort Lewis College Athletics

Oige Kennedy has had an unprecedented run as head men’s soccer coach at Fort Lewis College. In seven seasons as head coach, he’s won two NCAA Division II national championships (2009 and 2011), two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season titles (2009 and 2011), and two RMAC postseason crowns (2009 and 2011).

This past season, Kennedy recorded his 100th career win as a head coach with a 4-1 win on Dirks Field against Colorado Christian University on Oct. 18, 2015.

His rookie year in charge of the perennial national powerhouse Skyhawks was the stuff that makes legends. Hired as interim head coach just weeks before his team was to report for preseason training, Kennedy became the first coach in NCAA history to guide a men’s soccer team to a national championship in his first year of collegiate coaching.

Hired in July 2009 after former FLC Head Coach Tim Hankinson resigned to take a coaching assignment in India, Kennedy’s team raced out of the gate to three victories by a combined 17-2 score. A mid-season road trip saw rain cancel one game and force the location of another to be moved from a neutral site in Austin to the home turf of No. 9 Incarnate Word in San Antonio. A 2-1 loss ensued, thanks to a pair of Skyhawk shots that clanked off the crossbar in the final 10 minutes. Rebounding from that loss, FLC reeled off 21 straight wins to claim their second national championship in five years.

The season was a magical one. Fort Lewis outscored its opponents 108-13, leading the nation in goals (108) by 45 more than its closest competitor. The Skyhawks also led the nation in winning percentage (24-1, .960), and ranked fifth in team goals against average (0.52, 13 goals) and ninth in team shutout percentage (0.56, 14 shutouts). FLC’s 11 goals against Colorado Christian on Oct. 18 were the third best in Division II for a single game during the year.

The biggest surprise of the season, though, came in FLC’s 8-2 win over No. 6 Le Moyne in the NCAA Division II semifinals — not so much in the result, but the final margin of victory. David Barden led the way with a hat trick, while Euan Purcell and Joe Barnd each tallied a pair.

The resolve of Kennedy and the Skyhawks showed in the national title bout, as David Barden headed in the championship winner with just 12:27 remaining in regulation.

He duplicated the feat in 2011, as his team went 24-1 and added NCAA Division II, RMAC regular season, and RMAC championship trophies to their treasure chest. Rebounding from their first NCAA postseason snub in seven years (the 2010 team was on the bubble and narrowly missed the second Central Region seed in the tournament), Kennedy’s most recent team featured precision passing, dominating possession, and a near-impenetrable defense. Fort Lewis allowed just 11 games all season long and a 0.44 goals against average with 15 shutouts.

Through seven seasons, Kennedy has posted a 102-37-9 overall record (.720) and is 65-25-5 (.718) in RMAC games. His teams are a perfect 10-0-0 in the NCAA playoffs and 12-4-2 in the RMAC tournament (two ties ending in penalty kicks).

On the same day his Skyhawks defeated Lynn for the 2011 NCAA Division II national championship, Kennedy was named NSCAA/MONDO Central Region Coach of the Year. Earlier that same season, his peers around the league chose him as the 2011 RMAC Coach of the Year.

Kennedy added the NSCAA/MONDO NCAA Division II Coach of the Year honor on Jan. 13, 2012, when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America presented him with their prestigious national honor — Just the second time in FLC history that a head coach in any sport had received the distinction. Former FLC head coach Jeremy Gunn was the first in 2005 after guiding FLC to their first NCAA Division II national crown.

Following the 2009 season, Kennedy was named the CaptainU Division II Men’s Coach of the Year. More importantly, the interim tag was removed from his title within a week of capturing his first national title.

Kennedy spent three seasons as assistant coach at FLC from 2006-08, under head coaches Jeremy Gunn (2006) and Tim Hankinson (2007-08). The Skyhawks went 54-10-5 (.819) during those seasons, winning two RMAC regular season titles (2006, ’08), three RMAC postseason silver platters, and three trips to the NCAA playoffs — including a runner-up finish in the 2006 NCAA playoffs.

A goalkeeper by trade, Kennedy has helped FLC keepers Tom Donley, Zane Wells, and Ryan Wirth earn All-America honors. The Skyhawks have boasted the RMAC’s lowest goals against average and most shutouts in five of Kennedy’s six years as a head or assistant coach.

Prior to coming to Fort Lewis, Kennedy played four years as a professional in Europe. He played several seasons for Ireland’s national youth teams. He also captained the Irish University team for two years.

His coaching experience includes work with the Manchester United Soccer School and Bobby Charlton Soccer School for six years. Working with youth is important to him at Fort Lewis College, to, as he hosts The Academy, a soccer camp for youth and high school players, each summer.

Kennedy, who hails from Dublin, Ireland, earned his bachelor of science degree in sport science from University College Dublin and a computer science diploma from Dublin Institute of Technology.