Tim Hanlon Hired As Soccer Coach

At the end of April, Tim Hanlon will walk across the graduation platform and onto the soccer field as Florida College’s new coach.

Hanlon, Plant City, Fla., is among the first set of students to graduate from FC’s new business program, and has also played Falcons soccer since the team’s inception. He is now the coach of both the men’s and women’s teams, and has already begun recruiting players.

“He just struck me as a very mature, responsible person who had a lot of interest in what we’re trying to accomplish here,” said admissions director Matt Qualls, who launched the program four years ago. “He was the kind of athlete we’re trying to recruit.”

Hanlon holds the record for most goals scored at Florida College (42). He scored the first goal in FC history his freshman year. He was MVP his sophomore year, and team captain his last two years on the team.

“I think I’m still surprised,” Hanlon said of being offered the job. “Graduating college and then coaching at that level is just unheard of.”

Having a coach so young, who so recently was a player himself, will have its challenges—but also its advantages. “I can help build the program because I’ve already been a part of it,” Hanlon said. “I’m already on board with it, and with the mission of the school.”

Qualls agrees. “What gives him credibility is the fact that he’s been successful in our program,” he said. “I think the respect will just come because [the players] know that he’s serious about it.”

As coach, Hanlon will also give the program a presence and sense of coaching continuity that has been largely missing in its first four years. “The biggest part of building the program,” Hanlon said, “is [that] someone has to stay around.”