Jim Lennox, one of the most dedicated and respected college soccer coaches will be inducted into the National Soccer Coaches Association of American Hall of Fame on Friday, Jan. 17 at the NSCAA Awards Banquet in Philadelphia.
Lennox’s soccer career has spanned more than 45 years. His first head coaching job was at Mitchell College in New London, Conn, in 1969, where he was named NSCAA Junior College Coach of the Year in 1975.
The following year he began a 25-year career as head coach at Hartwick College (NY).
His Hartwick teams were powerhouse teams, making the NCAA tournament 13 times and reaching the national Final Four Championship five time. The Hawks won the national title in 1977, the first of two times when he was named Division I NSCAA National COY. The second in 1984.
His Hartwick teams were 318-163-43 during his 25-year run from 1977-2002. Among his players, who have gone out to make contributions to the game after their playing days, are Dominic Kinnear, Mike Burns, Jeff Tipping the late Glenn “Mooch” Myernick and Billy Gazonas. The latter two won back-to-back Hermann Trophies in 1976 and 1977, respectively.
But Lennox’s contribution to soccer has gone past his college teams and his coaching records.
He served as a clinician at numerous NSCAA conventions, going back to the Mitchell College days. He was the NSCAA’s Director of Coaching from 1983-1990, and still serves as a senior national staff coach in the NSCAA Coaching Academy.
A year ago at the convention in Indianapolis, he was presented the Walt Chyzowych Award for Lifetime Achievement, and also has received the Bill Jeffery College Long-Term Service Award (2009), the Mike Berticelli Excellence in Coaching Education Award (2000) and a NSCAA Letter of Commendation (1989).
After Harwick, Lennox served as Director of Coaching for the Connecticut Youth Soccer Association for four years.
This induction marks the fourth HOF to which he has been inducted. Previously he was elected to the Hartwick College, Mitchell College and East Stroudsburg University Halls of Fame.
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