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A soccer educator in every sense of the term, Barry Gorman has been at the helm of Penn State Soccer for the past 20 years. The Irish Bi-Centennial immigrant, regarded by many experts as one of the foremost teachers of the game in this country, has guided the Nittany Lions with a true emphasis on the student-athlete. His appointment in January 2002 as President of the largest coaching organization in the world, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), was considered to be just recognition for his service to the game in his adopted country. Besides holding prestigious positions within the NSCAA (he is now a Past President), Gorman's distinguished career includes tenure as the Past President of the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association; Regional Chairman of the NSCAA Regional/National Ranking Committee and Mid-Atlantic Chairman of the NCAA Men's Soccer Division I Championship Committee. He also has prior served as a member of the Pennsylvania All-State High School Selection Committee and as a member of the "Senior Select" Committee for the MLS Combine. Gorman, who served as the President of the Pennsylvania High School Soccer Coaches Association from 1980-84, was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1999. In February of 2006, he was accorded the association's greatest recognition when he was presented with the PA Soccer Coaches Honor Award. Gorman emigrated to the U.S. in 1976, after a 10-year playing career in the Irish League. At the schoolboy and youth international levels, he represented Northern Ireland. Gorman enjoyed an Irish Football League playing career, marked by numerous championships, including the Gold Cup, Intermediate Shield, and the Steel and Sons Cup while a player at Linfield Football Club and the Texaco All-Ireland title while playing for Portadown Football Club. Following a period as a player/coach in the American Soccer League, Gorman served as an assistant coach with Lock Haven College when it won its first NCAA Division III National Championship in 1977. In 1978, Gorman was appointed coach of the ELCO High School soccer program. In seven years, his teams were 133-13-3, won an unprecedented five league championships, captured the PIAA State Championship in 1979, and were finalists in 1981. Gorman then went on to coach Davis & Elkins College to the 1984 NCAA Division II national semifinals with a record of 13-3-3. In 1988, after serving two years as the Nittany Lions assistant coach, Barry Gorman was named the 10th head soccer coach in Penn State history. The 20-year Penn State veteran, who is the winningest Nittany Lion soccer coach in its storied history, has enjoyed an accomplished career. He is the first men's coach in Penn State history to win the Big Ten championship three times (1993, 2002 & 2005). The Nittany Lions have contested the Big Ten Championship match in nine of 17 years. As Penn State begins its 98th year of intercollegiate soccer competition and its 18th Big Ten season, a quick recap of the last 20 years reveals 12 NCAA Tournament bids, seven first-round wins, four appearances in the "Sweet 16," two appearances in the national quarterfinals, a 72-46-12 overall Big Ten mark (including tournament play), three Big Ten Championships, four Big Ten Player of the Year award winners, four Big Ten Freshmen of the Year, 41 First Team All-Big Ten selections, and two First Team All-America selections. The 1992, 1999, and 2005 NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and 2005 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Gorman's collegiate coaching record stands at 262-142-40.* In keeping with his philosophies on constant improvement for both players and coaches, Gorman has continued to gain and share new insights into the realm of coaching by participating in soccer seminars worldwide. Bringing concepts and strategies as results of trips to Argentina, Cameroon, Holland, France, Spain, Brazil, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Japan, South Africa and South Korea, Gorman adds an even deeper international flare to the Penn State soccer program. In 2002, Gorman visited Portugal, analyzing games at the European Championships. In 2006, he witnessed numerous games at the World Cup in Germany. This year, Gorman attended the Euro Championships in Austria and Switzerland. Gorman has been the director of six camps and clinics, a clinician at 20 and an instructor at four international courses. He has organized and orchestrated various team tours on an international scale, has launched numerous area youth indoor and outdoor soccer teams and holds three separate coaching licenses. Gorman, now in his 21st season as the head coach at Penn State, was the mentor of the program when the Nittany Lions made the transition from a perennial Atlantic 10 powerhouse to Big Ten Champion. Being the first Penn State men's coach to win three Big Ten Championships and advancing to the "Sweet 16" of the 2006 NCAA tournament with a team that started the season 0-4-1 is an awesome tribute to someone who has committed his professional life to soccer. Indeed, the 2005 season marked the first time that a Penn State soccer team has won both the regular season crown and the postseason championship. In 1995, Gorman notched his 100th Penn State coaching victory with an exciting 2-1 overtime home win on Sept. 23 against Akron and earned his 150th win against New Hampshire in the 1999 Penn State Nike Classic. That year, he also led the Lions to a No. 6 ranking in the NSCAA national poll for two consecutive weeks (Oct. 31, Nov. 7) and for four weeks ranked as the top team in the nation. In 1999, the Nittany Lions had one of their finest seasons ever. The squad notched a school record of 19 wins, got their first-ever No. 1 national ranking and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. In 2002, Gorman notched his 200th win with a 1-0 victory over Lehigh on Oct. 30, 2002 and once again took his team to the NCAA "Elite 8." An advocate of international travel and education, Coach Gorman has taken the Nittany Lions on four international tours during his tenure at Penn State. In 1992, the team traveled to England and Ireland. In 1996, they traveled to Germany and Austria, while in 2000 the Nittany Lions spent their preseason in Holland. The Nittany Lions, in August of 2004, undertook a first-ever trip to Brazil playing in Santos, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Gorman holds a physical education and mathematics degree from Stranmillis Teacher Training College in Belfast (1973). In addition, Gorman holds a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Health from Lock Haven University (1978). While coaching and teaching full-time, in 1982, Gorman completed his master's in Health and Physical Education from West Chester University. Celebrations were not confined to only academic achievements, as Gorman became a naturalized citizen in May of that year. The year was capped when in September of 1982, Brenda and Barry Gorman, at Hershey Medical Center, announced the arrival of their son, Trevor. Gorman's qualifications don't stop at academic degrees. Coach Gorman, currently a Senior Staff Instructor for the NSCAA Coaching Academies, is a qualified USSF "A" Licensed coach, an Irish FA "A" Licensed coach and a former Irish FA staff coach. He is currently involved, behind the scenes, with the Region I Olympic Development Program. A true believer in the Penn State athletic family spirit, Gorman is dedicated to upholding the history and tradition of Penn State Soccer. He coordinated the hosting of the 40th, 45th and 50th reunions of Penn State's 1954-55 national championship soccer teams. In the fall of 2003, Gorman organized the 10-year anniversary reunion of the first men's soccer team to win the Big Ten Championship. In 1991, Gorman collaborated with Nico Pronk to write the soccer textbook Soccer Everyone. In 2001, he created the book A Full Season, a detailed account of the training methods Gorman uses with the Penn State Varsity Squad. In 2003, he wrote the book A Personality Pyramid. * Coach Gorman's record does not reflect the seven games he missed during the 2002 season when he was recovering from surgery.
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