Brendan Nash joined the Rider University men's soccer coaching staff in Spring 2022. He'd previously spent 22 seasons as Head Coach at Bucknell.
Nash was appointed Bucknell's 13th head coach in 1999 after serving as the assistant coach for three seasons. In 22 seasons as head coach, Nash guided the Bison to 187 victories, the second-highest win total in team history. His teams captured Patriot League championships in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2014.
Nash, whose 187 career wins are the second-highest total in program history behind only Hall-of-Famer Craig Reynolds, was very successful throughout his tenure at Bucknell. The squad has finished at least .500 in the competitive Patriot League in 12 of the last 17 seasons under his direction, and four times the team captured Patriot League championships, with NCAA Tournament first-round wins following two of those titles.
A three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year and two-time NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year, Nash helped Conor O'Brien become Bucknell's first All-American in 33 years as well as a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, given to the national player of the year. Five of his players -- O'Brien, Mayowa Alli, Chris Thorsheim, Mike Lansing and Michael Lookingland -- have gone on to play professional soccer after graduating from Bucknell, with O'Brien in 2013 playing for a UEFA Champions League-qualifying Superleague team in Denmark before moving on to a top-flight team in Austria. Alli, who won the Christy Mathewson Award as the top senior athlete in the Class of 2014, Lansing and Thorsheim also began their careers in Denmark. Lookingland, a 2018 Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, was drafted by Real Salt Lake in the MLS and then carved out an all-star indoor career with the Baltimore Blast.
Along with on-field success, Nash's teams have excelled in the classroom. He has coached eight Academic All-Americans: 2001 graduate Ryan Weber, 2005 graduate Jonathan Hemmert, who earned the prestigious award twice, Chris Hennings in 2008, Patrick Selwood in 2009, and two-time honorees Joe Meyer (2012, 2013), and Jesse Klug (2014, 2015). Additionally, the Bison earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award every year since 1997.
A 1994 graduate of Trenton State College (now College of New Jersey) with a degree in communications, Nash was hired by Bucknell after acting as assistant coach at his alma mater for three seasons.
While playing for the Lions, Nash appeared in the NCAA Division III national championship in 1991. His senior year concluded by being named the recipient of the John Heslin Award (leadership, commitment and sportsmanship). During his last two seasons as an assistant for the Trenton State squad, Nash helped post a 34-6-5 record for the school, including a 19-2-2 mark in 1994. The Blue and Gold finished third in the nation in Division III that season. Prior to attending TSC, Nash was a member of the men's soccer team at Longwood College. As a sophomore, he was named First Team All-Conference as well as the Defensive Player of the Year in the conference.
Nash holds the USSF “B” license and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Advanced National Diploma. He hails from Neptune, N.J., and attended high school at Christian Brothers Academy, which is renowned for its perennial soccer talent. In addition to his bachelor's degree, he received his master's degree from the College of New Jersey for Sports Administration in 1997.
Both of Nash's brothers, Jamie and Brian, coach soccer in New Jersey. Jamie is the head coach at Boonton High School, while Brian coaches the boys' junior varsity soccer team at Marlboro High School.
