SUNY Old Westbury director of athletics Lenore J. Walsh announced March 29, 2019 the hiring of John DiRico as head men’s soccer coach.  DiRico spent 24 seasons (1992-2015) at NCAA Division II Dowling College, where he transformed the program into an elite national title contender.

“I am honored to have been selected to lead the SUNY Old Westbury men’s soccer program,” said DiRico.  “I want to thank director of athletics Lenore J. Walsh and the administration for this privilege and I look forward to continuing to build on the program’s success both on and off the field.”

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, DiRico will assist assistant director of athletic facilities/senior woman administrator Brittany Villalta with the game day preparation and management of outdoor intercollegiate contests as the outdoor athletics facilities assistant.

Compiling a record of 286-124-52 at Dowling, DiRico guided the Lions to 22-0-2 mark during a historic 2006 season saw the program win the NCAA Division II National Championship.  DiRico guided Dowling to 13 trips to the NCAA Championship Tournament, including six appearances in the NCAA semifinals from 2001-10. During his tenure in Oakdale, New York, Dowling captured 14 East Coast Conference (ECC)/New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) regular season championships and six post-season titles.

The three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Northeast Regional Coach of the Year was named the 2006 NSCAA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year.  DiRico was voted as nine times as the ECC/NYCAC Coach of the Year and earned the BigAppleSoccer.com College Coach of the Year on two occasions and it's Person of the Year selection in 2006.  A lifelong contributor to Long Island soccer, DiRico was awarded the prestigious Adelphi University Woodruff Award in 2007.

After Dowling closed in 2016, DiRico would assume the head coaching position at Five Towns College and Concordia College.  Prior to taking over at Dowling, DiRico served as an assistant varsity boys' coach at St. John the Baptist High School as well as the head men's coach at SUNY Old Westbury.  He has also served on the coaching staff of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Boys Select Program as well as with the Eastern New York Boys Olympic Development Program.

DiRico, a member of U.S. Soccer and the United Soccer Coaches, holds a U.S. Soccer National B Coaching License and is a former member of the NCAA Division II Regional and National rankings and selection committees.

DiRico and his wife, Lorraine, are the proud parents of three children: Elizabeth, Jennifer, and John, and the proud grandparents of Kolton, Kennedy, Delia, and Paisley.