Vermont Futbol Academy
A native of St. Albans, Vt., Jean brings 19 years of successful college coaching experience to the Catamounts with 10 years as a head coach in Division I and II compiling a 103-64-22 record. He returned to the Green Mountain State in 2006 and revitalized the Purple Knights program recording an 11-5-4 record his first season and a 10-5-4 mark a year ago. Both seasons SMC reached the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament and he was named the league's coach of the year in 2006. Prior to his stint at Saint Michael's, Jean was the head coach at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Pa. with an 82-54-14 record over eight seasons. He was named Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year an unprecedented four times (1999, 2002, 2004, 2005) while leading the Dukes to a share of three consecutive A-10 regular season titles, from 2003 to 2005, and three appearances in the league's championship game. Duquesne also recorded four straight seasons of 13 or more wins from 2002 to 2005 and in 2003, the Dukes were ranked 25th in the nation in the final national poll. Jean arrived at Duquesne after serving five seasons as an assistant at two successful Mid-American Conference programs, Bowling Green (1995-97) and Illinois State (1993-94). Prior to entering the Division I ranks, he was the head coach at Champlain College, a former NJCAA power in Burlington, and was an assistant at his alma mater, Johnson State, for one year. Like at UVM, academics have been an emphasis of Jean's programs. His teams at Duquesne were regular winners of NSCAA Team Academic Awards and in 2003-04, the Dukes had the second highest grade point average in the country. Saint Michael's in 2006-07 also earned a NSCAA Team Academic Award and saw one of its student-athletes earn a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Men's Soccer College Division Academic All-America Team. Jean, who attended high school and participated in athletics at BFA St. Albans with UVM Athletic Hall of Famers John LeClair '91 and Matt Johnson '91, is a 1990 graduate of Johnson State where he was a four-year standout defensive midfielder. He helped lead the Badgers to three Mayflower Conference titles and was a co-captain as a senior. He also earned his master's degree from Illinois State in 1996. Jean, who holds a NSCAA Advanced National Coaching Licence, also is a coach in the Nordic Soccer Club. He and his wife, Marcella Pelkey, have two daughters, Sienna (12) and Emma (10).
The 2011-12 season marked Ryan Horan's first as an assistant coach in the Vermont men's soccer program. He is a 2011 graduate of Saint Michael’s College, earning a bachelors of science degree in business administration with a minor in biology. Before starting his coaching career, Horan was recruited from Wheeling, W.Va. to Saint Michael's by current Catamount Associate Head Coach, Wade Jean. Only playing three years for the Purple Knights, he had to retire his career before his senior season due to medical complications that followed a calf tear in his junior season. As a freshman in 2007, the Purple Knights finished 10-5-4, in which he played in all 19 matches, starting five. In that season, he tallied three goals, ranking second on the team. In 2008, Saint Michael’s team finished 7-8-3. Horan played in 17 matches, starting 14, and had a team-high three goals and one assist. He finished the season tied for the team-lead in points. In 2009, the Purple Knights finished 9-5-3 and he played in 11 games, starting six. Horan is currently coaching a U11 boy’s team for the Nordic Soccer Club. He has previously coached at Bradley University’s elite soccer camp and Bethany College’s soccer camp. Additionally, in the summer of 2008 he interned as an assistant to the Director of Ticket Sales at the Columbus Crew, a Major League Soccer team in Ohio, and coached a camp for the Crew juniors. |
Ryan Horan