Oige Kennedy may never have come to Durango if it weren’t for Jeremy Gunn. Now, Kennedy is leaving Durango for Gunn.
After seven years as head coach of the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team and 10 years of working with the program in Durango, Kennedy announced he is leaving to become assistant coach at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Gunn, a former Fort Lewis head coach who gave Kennedy his first job in Durango, is the head coach of the Cardinal. Stanford won the NCAA Division I national championship in December.
“I’m lucky enough to have an opportunity from Jeremy to work with him again and work with one of the best programs in the country and at an institution that is world famous,” Kennedy said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “I’m excited about the new opportunity. It was an extremely difficult decision.”
Kennedy served as the FLC men’s soccer head coach for seven seasons, winning national championships in 2009 and 2011. He also claimed Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships those same two seasons.
Kennedy recorded more than 100 wins at Fort Lewis. He finishes his tenure in Durango with a 102-37-9 overall record and finished 65-25-5 in conference play.
“Oige has done a remarkable job during his tenure at Fort Lewis College,” FLC athletic director Gary Hunter said in a news release. “To win two national championships is unprecedented. We will miss him, but it will be exciting to watch the Skyhawk connections at Stanford as they pursue another national championship.”
Kennedy came to Durango in 2006 as an assistant to Gunn, who guided the Skyhawks to a national championship in 2005. Gunn coached the Skyhawks for eight seasons and led the program to three national title game appearances. He has been the head coach at Stanford since 2012.
Gunn was in Durango over the weekend as the 2005 men’s soccer team was inducted into the Fort Lewis College hall of fame. Kennedy said discussions about him joining Stanford began well before the reunion weekend.
Stanford University and Gunn were unable to comment Thursday because Kennedy must complete a background check and follow human resources procedures with the university.
Kennedy is thrilled to reunite with Gunn and said Gunn and booster Martin Dirks were the reasons he came to Fort Lewis in 2006.
“I’m eternally grateful to both of those guys to get me here and make me aware of what Durango was all about,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been really lucky to work with amazing players, including the current group we have. Moving on is something different, and it is really hard, and it was a decision I went back-and-forth with.”
Kennedy and Gunn both played professional soccer in Europe before beginning coaching careers. Kennedy is from Dublin, Ireland, and Gunn hails from England.
When Gunn left Fort Lewis after the 2006 season, Kennedy stayed on as an assistant to Tim Hankinson, who coached for two seasons before leaving for a position in India. Kennedy was named the interim head coach of FLC two weeks before the 2009 season began. That year, Kennedy became the first coach in NCAA history to win a national championship in his first year of collegiate coaching.
The Skyhawks earned a third star on their jerseys with the national championship in 2011, and Kennedy was named the NSCAA/MONDO NCAA Division II Coach of the Year. He was only the second coach in FLC history to earn such an award, with Gunn claiming the first in 2005.
Now, the pair will reunite, along with former Fort Lewis College player Nick Kirchoff, who also is on the staff.
“I think it speaks volumes about Jeremy to always believe in guys he’s worked with and trusts in,” Kennedy said. “He is somebody who looks after people who work for him, and he’s good at making sure the people surrounding him perform at a high level.”
Hunter said he is confident Fort Lewis College can land a highly qualified head coach. The Division II program’s rich tradition of head coaches leaving for high-profile Division I jobs, including Jeremy Fishbein at the University of New Mexico, should attract on-the-rise coaches.
Hunter also said Gunn and Kennedy will help filter applications and make recommendations on the next head coach of the Skyhawks. Fort Lewis will open a national search, and Hunter said hopes to make a hire before the end of February.
“Fort Lewis men’s and women’s soccer is really, really special,” Hunter said in a phone interview with The Herald. “The coaches and players we’ve had have set a foundation for many years to come.”
Kennedy will always remember the national championships but said he will miss the small details of coaching at Fort Lewis, including shoveling snow off Dirks Field alongside players, alumni and community members.
“I think for a town the size of Durango to have as many national champions and Final Four games as we do is remarkable,” Kennedy said. “Soccer is so big to this community. The national championships for me are the pinnacles of my career, but every game I coached at Dirks Field was a privilege.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
By the numbers
Oige Kennedy
Fort Lewis College
Men’s Soccer (2009-2015)
National Championships: 2009, 2011
RMAC Championships: 2009, 2011
RMAC Tournament Championships: 2009, 2011
Overall Record: 102-37-9
RMAC Record: 65-25-5
RMAC Tournament Record: 12-4-2
NCAA Playoffs Record: 10-0
Durango Herald
