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News
Furey to Step Down as Men's Soccer Coach
to Take Job at Lee
written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (2-24-2011) - After
compiling an impressive 252-165-32 overall
record (.597 winning percentage) the past 21
years as the head coach of the Mount Vernon
Nazarene University men's soccer team, Paul
Furey has accepted the head coaching
position at Lee (Tenn.) University.
 "This
is a very bittersweet time for me as I
venture into an exciting, new challenge and
yet end a chapter in my life that I have
loved tremendously, said Furey. "I consider
myself to be extremely blessed the past 21
years of my professional life at MVNU and in
my personal life living in Mount Vernon. I
could not have asked for a better place to
work and to raise my family than here. The
friendships with colleagues, administrators,
and players I have been privileged to coach
at MVNU will always have a special place in
my heart. I will miss them greatly and my
family and I will miss our hometown' of
Mount Vernon.
When Furey arrived at MVNU in the fall of
1990, he became the seventh coach in the
program's 11-year history and the fourth in
four years. Not only did he add stability to
the fledgling program by leading it for 21
years, he also turned it into a very
successful one. The Cougars had posted a
combined 64-99-9 record (.398 winning
percentage) prior to his arrival and he
leaves the program with a much-improved
all-time mark of 316-264-41 (.542).
"Paul will be greatly missed as a member of
the athletic department and the soccer
program at MVNU, said Dr. Daniel J. Martin,
MVNU's president. "His talent as a coach and
academic mentor showed both on and off the
field. The strong program that he has built
over the last 21 years will be felt and
appreciated by the coach who follows him. We
wish him the very best at Lee University.
"Paul has been an amazing coach for the MVNU
Cougars, said Dr. Lanette Sessink, MVNU's
vice president for Student Development. "The
testimonies I have heard from his players
and fans has shown the value and influence
he has had not only on individual players,
but the community around him. He will be
greatly missed, but we wish him the very
best in this new endeavor.
"We have had the privilege of having Paul
here for 21 years, said Paul Swanson,
MVNU's athletic director. "He has led the
MVNU soccer program with distinction and we
are grateful for that. We are very sorry to
see him go, but are very excited for him in
this new opportunity at Lee University.
During Furey's tenure at MVNU, the Cougars
made six trips to the National Christian
College Athletic Association National
Tournament and the program's only trip to
the NAIA National Tournament in 2008 when
they advanced all the way to the NAIA Final
Four. Ironically, Furey guided MVNU to a 2-0
victory over Lee in the opening round of the
tournament that year part of a 3-0 record
he compiled against the Flames during his
time with the Cougars.
Among the many honors that Furey has
received while at MVNU, he was named the
NCCAA National Coach of the Year and the
NSCAA NAIA Great Lakes Region Coach of the
Year in 2008. He was also the Mid-Ohio
Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and the
NCCAA East Region Coach of the Year four
times (1997, 1999, 2000, and 2008). The
Cougars set or tied 32 team or individual
records under Furey's leadership. Six
different players received NAIA All-American
honors, three were chosen as the Kyle Rote,
Jr. NCCAA National Player of the Year, and
21 were selected as NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
The team also earned the conference's Fair
Play Award three times (2002, 2005, and
2006) and the Nels Dalquist Sportsmanship
Award at the 2008 NAIA National
Championship.
A search for a new coach will get under way
in the very near future. The Cougars are
coming off a 12-7-2 season and will return
six starters from that squad. | |
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