Ken Lolla is a soccer coach who was formerly head men's soccer coach at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

. He is also a writer and professional speaker. Lolla played collegiate soccer at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

and professionally at various US professional soccer teams. He has earned several accolades as both a player and coach.

Player

Lolla attended St. Rose High School in

Belmar, New Jersey Belmar is a Borough (New Jersey), borough located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,907, an increase of 113 ...

where he was a 1980 High School All-American; he also played on the U.S. Olympic Sports Festival teams in 1979 and 1983. Lolla went on to play collegiate soccer at

from 1980 to 1983 where he was a three-time all-conference selection of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

and earned All-South and All-America in 1981 and 1983. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in biology. He was selected in the fourth round of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

draft by the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

. Lolla played professional soccer for the Charlotte Gold of the

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

. He also played for the Canton Invaders of the National Professional Soccer League from 1984 to 1988. He also served as the Youth Development Director for the Canton Invaders in 1985 and 1986. He handled community and public relations in 1987 and 1988 in conjunction with appearances as a player for the NPSL franchise. In the Spring 1988, he moved to the

New Jersey Eagles The New Jersey Eagles were an American soccer team founded in 1987 as the Cosmopolitan Eagles. In 1988, they entered the third American Soccer League (1988–1989), American Soccer League as the New Jersey Eagles. They folded following the 1990 ...

of the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. ...

. In 1990, he played for the Penn-Jersey Spirit, but he left the team on June 14, 1990, when he was hired as head coach of

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The college is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. ...

. In 2002, Lolla was one of 55 players named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Men's Soccer Team.

Coach

Lolla began coaching during his playing career when he served as an assistant at

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its university charter, c ...

in 1984. In 1985, he spent time as an assistant coach with his alma mater, Duke, then served as the head coach at Lake High School in

Uniontown, Ohio Uniontown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2020 census. The Industrial Excess Landfill, now a superfund site, is located south of Uniontown. Uniontown is part of the C ...

in 1987. He returned as an assistant coach with Duke in 1988 and 1989. In 1993, he became the head coach of

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

soccer team. In his three seasons as head coach, he compiled a 49–16–3 record and the team won three consecutive Carolinas Conference Championships. Lolla was named the Carolinas Conference Coach of the Year in 1990 and NSCAA-NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1992. For the next thirteen years Lolla went on to coach the

Akron Zips The Akron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division I, Division I level as a memb ...

where he was the winningest coach in school history compiling a 160–68–25 record along with eight

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

Championships and a school record five straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Lolla coached 38 first team All-MAC players while at Akron and was named MAC coach of the year three times. Coach Lolla is a member of the Akron Hall of Fame. On December 16, 2005,

announced it had hired Lolla as the school's new head coach. In his second season at Louisville, the Cardinals finished 11–7–4 with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament's second round, where they lost to eventual National runner up

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. In the past five seasons, Coach Lolla has taken

from a losing program to the 2010 NCAA College Cup Final, 2010

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

Championship, No. 1 national ranking, and 20–1–3 record. Lolla was named the 2010 National Coach of the Year and his staff was named the 2010 Big East Coaching Staff of the Year. In Fall 1999, he was appointed head coach of the

U.S. Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of soccer in the United States. It is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer at ...

Under-15 National Team. After the

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

season, Lolla resigned after 13 years and a 155–77–39 record with the team.

Personal

Ken, his wife Tina, and their three children reside in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

References

External links

*
Louisville profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lolla, Ken Living people American soccer coaches American men's soccer players Belmont Abbey College people Duke Blue Devils men's soccer players Carolina Lightnin' players United Soccer League (1984–85) players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Canton Invaders players American Soccer League (1988–89) players New Jersey Eagles players American Professional Soccer League players Penn-Jersey Spirit players Duke Blue Devils men's soccer coaches Akron Zips men's soccer coaches Louisville Cardinals men's soccer coaches Soccer players from Monmouth County, New Jersey St. Rose High School alumni Tampa Bay Rowdies draft picks Men's association football midfielders Year of birth missing (living people) Monmouth Fighting Scots High school soccer coaches in the United States Belmont Abbey Crusaders People from Belmar, New Jersey