Oige Kennedy, who helped direct Stanford to NCAA Tournament College Cup championships in 2016 and 2017, four Pac-12 Conference titles in seven years with the Cardinal and led Division II Fort Lewis College to two NCAA Tournament national championships as head coach, begins his first season as Cal Poly head coach in 2023.  

“I’d like to thank (Cal Poly director of athletics) Don Oberhelman and (president) Jeffrey Armstrong for providing this opportunity to my family and I,” said Kennedy (first name pronounced “O-gee”), named Cal Poly head coach on Dec. 9, 2022. “It’s truly an honor to become the leader of this program and represent this unique university. From my first conversations with Don, it was easy to sense his energy and enthusiasm for Cal Poly and the wonderful community that exists in San Luis Obispo. It’s something that we’re truly excited to be a part of.”

In seven seasons with Stanford – two as assistant coach (2016-17) and five as associate head coach (2018-22) – Kennedy helped the Cardinal reach three NCAA Tournament College Cups, qualify for six NCAA Tournaments and compile an 88-23-30 overall record and 45-13-14 Pac-12 mark. This fall, Stanford – with Kennedy and under head coach Jeremy Gunn – posted a 12-2-6 record, finished as Pac-12 runner-up and reached a fifth NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen since 2016.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to coach Gunn – he’s truly been the greatest mentor and friend that anyone could have asked for these past 16 years,” Kennedy said. “I’m so fortunate to have worked with the best in the business and will be forever grateful for his continued belief in me and for helping me get to this point in my coaching journey.

“I cherished deeply the last seven years at Stanford. It’s a place that is made up of the most exceptional people who have impacted my life in the most positive way,” Kennedy said. “I’ll always be indebted to every student-athlete I’ve worked with and will always take inspiration from their hard work and dedication to become a champion in life.”   

Following national championships in 2016 and 2017, Stanford reached another College Cup in 2019. From 2015-18, Kennedy helped guide Stanford to an NCAA-record 14-match postseason shutout streak that eventually reached 1,428 minutes. The Cardinal also engineered a nine-match shutout streak across the regular and postseasons in 2017 and 2018, the eighth-lengthiest stretch in NCAA history.

“I’m so pleased that coach Kennedy has joined our family,” Oberhelman said. “He’s won national titles as an assistant coach, he’s won national titles as a head coach and he’s ready to lead our program to Big West Conference championships and national success.

“When talking with other coaches around the country about Oige, they talk about his skill as a coach, his relentless recruiting and his integrity and humanity as a person.”

Serving as a coach on all levels of play and leading Stanford’s recruiting efforts, Kennedy helped the Cardinal program produce 20 Major League Soccer SuperDraft selections – including two top-10 picks. His tenure at Stanford brought recruiting classes ranked among the top 10 in the nation for seven consecutive years.

Individually at Stanford, Kennedy coached four Pac-12 Player of the Year honorees, three Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year picks, two Pac-12 Freshman of the Year selections and 37 All-Pac-12 honorees.

Stanford’s 0.382 goals-against-average mark in 2017 set a Pac-12 record. The Cardinal also set a program record that season with just nine goals conceded while matching a program record of 16 shutouts.

Prior to arriving at Stanford, Kennedy produced a 102-37-9 overall record in seven seasons as head coach at Division II Fort Lewis College (Durango, Colo.). The Skyhawks won Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular and postseason titles in 2009 and 2011 before sweeping a pair of NCAA Tournament titles with a combined 10-0-0 mark.

Kennedy began at Fort Lewis in 2006 as an assistant to Gunn. The Skyhawks finished 21-2-1 that fall and as NCAA Tournament runners-up. With Kennedy on staff, Fort Lewis produced 33 combined victories in 2007 and 2008 while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament both years.

Named interim head coach at Fort Lewis heading into the program’s 2009 training camp, Kennedy made NCAA history later that fall by becoming the initial first-year head coach to lead a men’s soccer program to a national title. Fort Lewis started the 2009 season with two losses in the first five matches before winning 21 straight games to claim the program’s second national title. The 2009 Skyhawks outscored their opposition, 108-13, while producing 14 shutouts.

Two years later, Fort Lewis finished 24-1 and recaptured the NCAA championship – just the university’s third national title in any team sport.

In seven years as Fort Lewis head coach, Kennedy’s teams produced a 102-37-9 overall record, a 65-25-5 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference mark and finished 12-4-2 in RMAC Tournament play. In January 2012, Kennedy was honored as the NSCAA Division II National Coach of the Year.

A native of Dublin, Ireland, Kennedy competed for four years as a professional in Europe. He spent several years playing on Ireland’s national youth teams and captained the Irish University team for two years.

Kennedy’s coaching experience also includes work with the Manchester United Soccer School and Bobby Charlton Soccer School for six years.

Kennedy earned his bachelor’s degree in sport science from University College Dublin and a computer science diploma from Dublin Institute of Technology.

The Word on Kennedy

Jeremy Gunn, Stanford Head Coach (2012-)

“I wish to thank Oige for the incredible and indelible mark that he has made on Stanford soccer and the student-athletes that he’s nurtured over the past seven years. While we’re sad to see one of the brightest coaches in college soccer leave, we’re excited to watch Oige lead Cal Poly to a very exciting future. Thanks, Oige, and good luck!”

Tanner Beason, Stanford Defender (2016-19) / 2020 MLS Draft Selection (No. 12), San Jose Earthquakes

“Oige’s competitive spirit and high-performance standards – combined with his compassion for student-athletes and his great sense of humor – create an outstanding environment for everyone to learn, improve and be successful in and out of sport. Specifically, he does an amazing job of analyzing player and team performance in order to give his players individualized feedback, coaching and ways to improve.”

Drew Skundrich, Stanford Midfielder (2014-17) / 2018 MLS Draft Selection (No. 40), LA Galaxy / Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (Current)

“Working with Oige was an absolute pleasure. He kept standards extremely high while maintaining a calm sense of confidence that was contagious for us players. His creative thinking, clear instruction and genuine nature helped us succeed and enjoy playing at the same time. I have no doubt that Oige will continue to be successful not only on the field but also in developing his players as tremendous human beings for the future.”

Ousseni Bouda, Stanford Forward (2019-21) / 2022 MLS Draft Selection (No. 8), San Jose Earthquakes

“I’m forever grateful for what coach Kennedy has done for me on and off the field. His ability to connect with players and bring the best out of them is second to none. I’ll always remember his dedication and his contagious love for the game. I wish him the best of luck at Cal Poly.”

Corey Baird, Stanford Winger (2014-17) / 2018 MLS Homegrown / Houston Dynamo (Current) / United States Men’s National Team

“I really enjoyed working with Oige. Immediately it was clear his knowledge of the game and what was most impressive is how he connected with all of us on a personal level. We still have a great relationship to this day and I know he'll do great things at Cal Poly.”

Zach Ryan, Stanford Forward (2017-21) / 2022 MLS Homegrown / Loudon United FC (Current)

“Oige’s attention to detail, passion for the game and love for high-performing team environments played a massive role in my development as a player and person. I feel very fortunate to have shared a locker room with him for five years.”

Andrew Thomas, Stanford Goalkeeper (2017-20) / 2021 MLS Supplemental Draft, Seattle Sounders FC

“Cal Poly is incredibly fortunate to have landed Oige. While reflecting on the four years I spent working with him, two key themes repeatedly came to mind. The first, and more soccer-specific, is that his meticulous attention to detail made success seem an almost inevitable result of the process. From detailed scouting reports on opposing teams and players (including every penalty they’d ever taken – a favorite memory of mine) to postgame analyses of specific moments, I felt fully prepared for and improved from every game irrespective of whether it was a season opener, midseason game or during the College Cup. The other – and, arguably, more important attribute – was that he held the respect of the locker room while still being a key part of it. He was approachable and cared deeply about each player as a person. In my case, this materialized as help on and off the field, both professionally and personally. As a result, he’s played an indisputable role in helping me get to where I am now. For that, I’m grateful.”