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Ian McIntyre
One of the brightest head coaches on the college circuit, Ian McIntyre has led Syracuse to unprecedented heights since taking over the helm of the program in 2010.
A 1996 Hartwick graduate, McIntyre owns a 239-155-79 (.588) record in 25 seasons as a college head coach. He’s been honored with multiple coaching awards, including spearheading the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year in 2012 and being tabbed the ACC Coach of the Year and NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2022.
DONNING ORANGE
McIntyre became the 15th coach in Syracuse soccer history on Jan. 6, 2010. During his time in the Emerald City, McIntyre has gone about the task of building the Orange into a national contender. That effort began paying dividends in 2012 as Syracuse won 14 games, more than twice the number of victories in McIntyre’s first two years with the Orange.
Overall, Syracuse finished 14-6-1 in 2012 and was the most improved team in the nation, posting a win-loss improvement of +8.5. The Orange nearly doubled its number of goals (39) from the previous year and the defense posted 12 shutouts, tied for the third-most clean sheets in the country. As a result, Syracuse earned a berth in the 2012 NCAA Championship, the second time in program history the Orange advanced to the national tournament.
Syracuse continued to perform upon reaching the national stage, knocking off Ivy League champion Cornell and Atlantic 10 foe VCU in the opening two rounds to notch the first NCAA Tournament victories in team history. In the third round (Round of 16), the Orange took eventual national finalist Georgetown to the brink, tying the Hoyas 1-1 before being eliminated on penalty kicks.
McIntyre and his assistants were rewarded with 2012 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors for authoring the breakout campaign.
In 2013, Syracuse’s first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, McIntyre led the Orange to a 10-7-1 record, marking the first time in more than a decade that the team posted double-digit wins in consecutive years. Along the way, the Orange went undefeated in non-conference play (7-0-0) and beat two ranked teams (#12 Connecticut and #19 Clemson).
The Orange’s rise to prominence continued in 2014. Syracuse started the year 12-1-0 and finished with a 16-4-1 record. The team earned a national seed (No. 9) in the NCAA Tournament for the first time and again advanced to the NCAA's Round of 16. McIntyre was named ACC Coach of the Year as the Orange won a share of the ACC Atlantic Division title after being picked to finish last during the preseason. In addition, Syracuse was ranked in the top five in seven straight NSCAA polls and attained the No. 1 national ranking for the first time in school history on Nov. 4, 2014.
The 2015 squad produced the most successful season in school history. Syracuse, which had to replace seven starters, became the first No. 10 seed to win the ACC Tournament, the first in school history. The Orange earned a program-best sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament. After a first-round bye, they defeated Dartmouth, Seattle and Boston College to advance to the College Cup for the first time in school history. The Orange faced No. 3 Clemson for the third time that season and were tied with the Tigers, 0-0, after 110 minutes of play. Clemson won the penalty kick shootout to advance to the national final. Syracuse ended the season with a 16-5-4 record and was No. 4 in the final NSCAA poll, its highest final ranking in school history.
In 2017, the Orange finished with a losing record and missed out on the national tournament for the first time since 2013. But the following season in 2018, the Orange returned to the NCAA Tournament. 'Cuse returned to their winning ways in 2019, as they finished with a 8-7-5 record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Orange knocked off Rhode Island in the first round before falling to St. John's in the second round. After losing a talented and veteran group, the 2020 and 2021 seasons were transition years for the program. The 2020 season was shortened and played in both the fall and spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Orange finished with a 2-7-4 record. 'Cuse bounced back in 2021, finishing with an 8-8-2 record and narrowly missing out on a berth to the NCAA Tournament. The marquee moment of the season was a 2-0 win over eventual national champion Clemson on Senior Night.
Syracuse had a historic 2022 campaign, finishing with a program-best 19-2-4 record. The Orange earned the ACC Regular Season Title, won the ACC Championship and the program's first NCAA Championship after defeating Indiana, 7-6, in PKs. Seven members of the national championship squad were drafted across the 2023 and 2024 MLS SuperDrafts, including a program-best five in 2023. Additionally, Nathan Opoku signed with the Premier League's Leicester City following the treble season.
Elite-level players have keyed the Orange’s success. McIntyre’s recruiting classes have consistently been ranked in the top 40 by College Soccer News.
REVIVING A SLEEPING GIANT
Prior to taking the Orange reins, McIntyre spent seven seasons (2003-09) as the head coach at his alma mater, Hartwick College. He guided the Hawks to four 10-win seasons in his tenure and an appearance in the 2005 NCAA Championship.
McIntyre succeeded the legendary Jim Lennox in 2003 and promptly led the Hawks to 15-2-1 overall record, the most wins for the program since 1993. The following year, McIntyre was named the regional coach of the year after presiding over a 13-3-3 campaign that featured a nine-game winning streak and an Atlantic Soccer Conference runner-up finish.
In 2005, McIntyre guided the team to another 13-win season and the Atlantic Soccer Conference regular-season and tournament titles. For his efforts, McIntyre was rewarded with 2005 Atlantic Soccer Conference Coach of the Year honors, and by virtue of its conference championship, Hartwick earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in a decade.
Two years later, McIntyre was the driving force behind Hartwick’s successful move from the Atlantic Soccer Conference to the MAC, qualifying for the league’s postseason tournament in all three seasons (2007-09) he was at the helm.
AN ALL-AMERICAN PLAYING CAREER
Before becoming Hartwick’s sixth head coach, McIntyre was a standout player for the Hawks, earning NSCAA First Team All-America honors as a senior in 1995. He helped the program to two NCAA Tournament berths and a 52-20-7 record in his four seasons (1992-95).
McIntyre scored 18 goals and had 10 assists in his career and developed a reputation for clutch goal-scoring. He tallied game-winning goals in NCAA Tournament victories against Rutgers and Boston University in 1993, and the Hawks were 16-0-1 in McIntyre’s career when he scored a goal.
McIntyre was named the Hartwick Male Athlete of the Year in 1995-96 and earned the President’s Scholar-Athlete Award. In addition, he was enshrined in the Hartwick College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year on the ballot.
CLIMBING THE COACHING LADDER
After the conclusion of his college playing career, McIntyre served as an assistant coach at Fairfield from 1996-98 under former Hartwick assistant coach Carl Rees. McIntyre helped Rees lead the Stags to a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship game appearances.
In 1998, McIntyre’s last year with the Stags, Fairfield went 15-4-1 and earned the program’s first national ranking, checking in at No. 24 after a 10-0-1 start. In addition, McIntyre coached the Region I amateur team to the gold medal at the 1999 U.S. Soccer Festival in Portland, Ore.
Following his stint at Fairfield, McIntyre returned to Oneonta, N.Y. to assume the head coaching duties for the former Division I program at Oneonta State. McIntyre posted a 36-28-7 record for the Red Dragons from 1999-2002. He led them to three straight double-digit win seasons and was named Independent Coach of the Year in his debut campaign after leading Oneonta to a 10-6-1 record and an upset of Hartwick in the 1999 Mayor’s Cup title game.
PERSONAL
A native of Basildon, England, McIntyre and his wife, Jenn, have a daughter, Lyla, and a dog, Elmore.
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