Charlotte Names National Coach of Year Jeremy Gunn Men's Soccer Coach
Led Fort Lewis (Colorado) to Back-to-Back NCAA Division II Title Games; 2005 National Championship
Dec. 26, 2006
Charlotte, N.C. - Charlotte 49ers Director of Athletics Judy Rose has announced the hiring of former National Coach of the Year Jeremy Gunn as the 49ers new head men's soccer coach. Gunn, a highly-successful coach at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., led the Skyhawks to three NCAA Div. II Championship games in his eight-year stint, including each of the last two years. Fort Lewis won the 2005 NCAA National Championship and finished as the NCAA runner-up in 2006 and 1999. Gunn was named Div. II National Coach of the Year in 2005 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) after leading the Skyhawks to the National Championship and an unbeaten 22-0-1 season.
"We are thrilled to have someone of Jeremy's caliber leading our program," said Rose. "We had tremendous interest in this position from all over the country and the quality of applicants was very strong. Jeremy has enjoyed immense success as a head coach and is driven to bring that type of success to Charlotte. He was highly-successful as a player who has a great passion for the game and high expectations for our program."
A 1993 graduate of California State University, Bakersfield, Gunn has been head coach at Fort Lewis for the last eight years, winning six Rocky Mountain Conference (RMAC) championships, three NCAA Mid-West Regional titles and advancing to the NCAA National Championship game three times. He was named the 2005 NSCAA Div. II National Coach of the Year and the Mid-West Region Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2005. He boasts an eight-year record of 123-35-17 and led the Skyhawks to the RMAC Championship in each of the last three years.
"I'm thrilled to take this position," said Gunn, who went 42-3-3 at Fort Lewis over the last two years. "Our ultimate goal is to produce a nationally-recognized program with our sights on reaching the highest success in collegiate soccer. We also want to produce an exciting team on the field and an exciting brand of soccer that will attract a lot of community support. I've been fortunate to have had some wonderful years at Fort Lewis and Cal-State Bakersfield and I'm confident we can bring that same sort of success and excitement to Charlotte."
This past year, the Skyhawks posted a 21-2-1 record, finishing second in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and second in the NSCAA national poll. The Skyhawks were led by Daktronics Div. II National Player of the Year John Cunliffe, who scored a school record 29 goals. The three-time all-America scored 75 goals in his four-year career.
A five-time RMAC Coach of the Year, Gunn began his coaching career at his alma mater as an assistant coach in 1993. He served as an assistant coach with Cal-State Bakersfield's men's and women's soccer programs from 1993-1999. Cal-State Bakersfield won the 1997 NCAA Div. II National Championship and advanced to the 1995 NCAA Final Four. While serving as an assistant coach, Gunn earned his Master's Degree in Business Administration in 1999.
"I'm looking forward to a successful, bright future with the 49ers and working at a fine institution in a vibrant city," Gunn added.
A first team all-America at Cal-State Bakersfield, Gunn played professionally from 1993-95 with the Chico Rooks Pro Soccer Club in Chico, Calif., and in 1998 with the Nashville (Tenn.) Metros and the Charleston (S.C.) Battery of what is now called the United Soccer League (formerly the A-League).
Gunn becomes the 49er soccer program's sixth head coach, replacing John Tart, who resigned in November after a 12-year career with the 49ers.
