For nearly a decade of Saint Louis University soccer, one familiar face has paced the sidelines of Robert R. Hermann stadium. The players have turned over, year after year; freshmen have arrived and seniors have departed. Every year, the fans that have packed the stands at Hermann stadium have cheered on a Billiken team helmed by that familiar face.
However, those same fans will struggle to find that familiar face this fall. Dan Donigan, who spent the last 13 years, nine of which as head coach at SLU, has accepted the head-coaching position at Rutgers University in his native New Jersey.
Donigan led the Billikens to an Atlantic 10 Conference championship and the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2009. It was the seventh time in nine seasons that a Donigan-led Billiken team reached the NCAA tournament.
The Hampton, NJ native was named head coach at SLU in 2001, after serving as an assistant coach for four seasons under Bob Warming. The Billikens reached the quarterfinals of NCAA tournament twice under Donigan’s lead, in 2001 and 2003.
Donigan posted a 118-42-23 record, a .708 winning percentage, during his tenure at SLU. His teams were consistently ranked in the top-25 and continued the national prominence of SLU’s historic program.
“The University is very grateful to Dan [Donigan] and everything he did during his time here. We certainly will miss him, but [the department of athletics] is confident that the program can con-tinue its success in the coming years,” SLU Director of Athletics Chris May said, “We have a great group of kids right now, and are in a great position.”
Donigan shares May’s sentiments.
“I’ll be forever indebted to Saint Louis University. I loved everything about my experience there … I fully expect that team and that program to continue its winning ways,” Donigan said. “It was very hard to leave this school after everything I’ve experienced.”
Despite the painful departure, Donigan feels no regret about his decision to leave SLU. “I know that I handled this situation as best as I could have. I was up-front and honest with my team and this school the entire time. If I could go back, I would do everything the exact same … After Rutgers approached me, I did my homework and I realized that this change was the best possible situation for both me and my family.”
For Donigan, the change will be a coming home party, a party that he cannot wait to attend.
“It’s fantastic … the acceptance and warmth I have received from the entire Rutgers and New Jersey community has been great … I’m ecstatic about being able to coach in New Jersey, and even more excited about what I believe this program can do,” Donigan said of his new employer. “I think my biggest challenge [at Rutger’s] will be realizing all of the resources I now have at my disposal and utilizing them.”
According to May, SLU received interest in the vacant position almost immediately. “We started getting calls almost right away. We have narrowed down our list of candidates and are very pleased with the possibilities,” May said.
SLU does not have a deadline for signing a new coach, but May said that the school is trying to take care of it as quickly as possible.
May seemed confident that SLU would not be losing any members of a team that finished 15-7 last season, and included a top-10 recruiting class, according to SoccerAmerica, due to transfers.
“I spoke with the team on [Jan. 24] and assured them that this school is dedicated to them and this program. They all are excited to continue their careers at SLU and welcome their new coach,” May said.
Donigan signed a multi-year contract with Rutgers and is believed to have received a significant pay raise. A multi-year deal is not something that is made available to most SLU athletic coaches. Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that only head basketball coaches Rick Majerus and Shimmy Gray-Miller, along with head volleyball coach Anne Kordes have multi-year contracts offering them a sense of job security, as other coaches can be let go at any time.