Xavier University Athletics
Andy Fleming Named Head Men's Soccer Coach
12.18.09 | Men's Soccer
Dec. 18, 2009
CINCINNATI - Andy Fleming has been named as the new head men's soccer coach at Xavier University as announced by director of athletics Mike Bobinski on Friday. Fleming comes to XU after spending the last three seasons as the associate head coach/recruiting coordinator at national power Northwestern University.
"We are very excited to welcome Andy Fleming as our head men's soccer coach," said Bobinski. "Andy is one of the most talented young coaches in the country and he brings a significant track record of success at all levels as both a player and a coach. In addition, Andy's emphasis on academic success and the overall student-athlete experience will provide our current and future team members with a positive and productive environment."
The Wildcats concluded the 2009 season with an 11-5-4 record, and finished tied for second in the Big 10 with a 3-2-1 mark. NU garnered a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the Round of 16 and concluded the season ranked No. 11 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Fleming helped develop Mark Blades into the 2009 Big 10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-American.
"First and foremost, I'd like to applaud Mike Bobinski, Brian Hicks and the entire staff at Xavier for conducting a first class search," said Fleming. "They were very easy to relate to, made me feel very much at home and certainly created a family dynamic comprised of people who believe in Xavier's mission and love to work there. I was very impressed with how eager the administration was to get this program going, and above all, the program seems to have great young men who are committed to righting the ship. I look at this opportunity as a clean canvas and a chance to make my mark on the program and create some lifelong memories, lessons and relationships for the student-athletes.
"Xavier, like my previous two stops, is a place that is best known because of its tremendous academic reputation. That, coupled with its intimate setting and a small student population, make Xavier a place where everyone knows each other and many of the students interact with and support the athletics teams. I felt that my experience at a small Division I school like Marist College, combined with the national program we were able to run out of a mid major conference at Boston U, along with Northwestern being the national model for both academics and athletics when all meshed together, presented what Xavier University has to offer."
The 2009 season was no aberration as Northwestern was 38-15-10 (.683) during Fleming's tenure and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of those three seasons. The 2008 campaign saw NU win a school-record 15 games, advance to the Final Eight of the NCAA Tournament and earn a No. 9 ranking in the final NSCAA poll. The 2008 squad reached as high as No. 2 in the national polls during the season and spent five weeks in the top-10.
Fleming also spearheaded the team's adoption of the "Friends of Jaclyn" pediatric brain cancer program during the 2008 season.
"This has been a dream of mine and something I've worked long and hard for. I've been formulating a vision for quite some time and it involves well rounded student-athletes doing things the right way and having a diverse and rewarding college soccer experience. I want to be sure to recognize my wonderful wife Amy who has been a terrific teammate through all of the crazy ups and downs that come along with being a coach. I'd also like to thank my mentors, Neil Roberts, who gave me my first chance in the business, Tim Lenahan, who helped me grow into a complete coach, and the legendary Jerry Yeagley who welcomed me into the Indiana soccer family and has served as both an idol and friend to me. Above all, I'd like to thank the wonderful players that have helped me grow as a coach and helped me get ready for this exciting time.
"Obviously we have a challenging road ahead of us. However, the one thing I can hang my hat on is that this team is at the point where they will embrace whatever is necessary to create change and success. There is a lot we can accomplish over the winter months as far as creating a culture and getting the right people `on the bus'. I look forward to getting to work right away and making the Xavier community proud of this program."
Prior to his arrival in Evanston, Fleming was an assistant coach at BU from 1998-2007, spending the last three years as associate head coach. His efforts helped the Terriers to eight winning seasons and six appearances in the top 25, including a national ranking of seventh in 2002. The squad won America East regular season crowns in 2001 and 2004 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2004.
While in Boston, he was part of the recruitment and development of four conference players of the year, four All-Americans, two MLS draft picks, and the owners of the BU records for single-season goals and career assists. He also assembled the BU team which captured an NCAA at-large bid in 2007 and a majority of the 2008 NCAA tournament team. Five of his former players are in professional soccer, most notably Andy Dorman of St. Mirren in Scotland's Premier League.
Fleming has been recognized as one of the nation's top assistant coaches by College Soccer News on seven occasions and was honored as the 2009 NSCAA Central Region National Assistant Coach of the Year. He has assembled eight consecutive nationally ranked recruiting classes, including the 2009 edition which was rated 17th-best by CollegeSoccerNews.com.
These classes have included the 2002 National High School Player of the Year, a Parade All-American, nine high school All-Americans, and four Gatorade State Players of the Year. On the youth level, he served as a co-head coach of the South Shore United Blazers which won the U.S. Youth Soccer East Region Title in 1999 and later went on to secure a spot as the nation's top-rated U17 team in May 2001. The team would go on to produce nine Division I players and two MLS draft picks.
Fleming holds a USSF `A' Coaching License.
A former two-year captain at Marist College, Fleming helped lead the Red Foxes to a seventh-place ranking in the New York State Region in his senior year (1996). Upon graduation, Fleming joined the Marist staff in 1997 as an assistant coach.
The Braintree, Mass., native was inducted into the Archbishop Williams Hall of Fame in March 2004.
He and his wife, Amy, reside in Chicago with their son, Brady, who was born in May of 2009.
