From a player to a coach, Joe Flanagan is Cal State Dominguez Hills men's soccer.
The all-time winningest coach in Cal State Dominguez Hills men's and women's soccer history, Toro alumnus Joe Flanagan is in his 24th season as head coach of the men's program in 2017. Flanagan finished his 12th year as head coach of the women's program in 2013.
One of the most successful and respected coaches in the nation, Flanagan guided the men's team to NCAA Championships in 2000 and 2008, and the women's squad to the 2009 NCAA title game.
Under his direction, during which both teams have combined to earn two NCAA Titles, six NCAA West Region crowns, nine CCAA Championships and 19 NCAA postseason appearances, Flanagan again and again has proven to the soccer community what many already know: that he possesses one of the finest soccer minds in the country, bar none.
In 2008, Flanagan guided the men's squad to the NCAA Title, dominating the NCAA postseason with a 5-0 mark, including three shutouts en route to the crown. This pinnacle followed two-consecutive CCAA Championships after CSUDH claimed the 2005 Far West Title over perennial power Seattle Pacific, a victory that put an end to a bitter string of heart-breakers that included a 5-4 penalty kick “loss” to CCAA Champion Cal State Bakersfield in 2004, and a 2-1 defeat to eventual NCAA Championship game participant Chico State one year earlier.
In 2000, Flanagan won the first of his NCAA Titles after an electrifying 2-1 four-overtime victory over host Barry University in Miami Shores, FL, and reached the title game again in 2001, only to fall in the final minutes to host University of Tampa by the same score.
Flanagan, the Toros' all-time winningest coach in CSUDH men's soccer history with a 313-119-39 overall career record entering the 2016 season, won his 300th game in a 3-1 win against Cal Baptist in September of 2015, and picked up his 5th career CCAA Coach of the Year award in 2015.
He also claimed his first National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Women's Soccer All-Region Coach of the Year in 2009, as well as the NSCAA National Coach of the Year in 2008 to accompany the 2000 hardware, the CCAA and the NCAA II West Region Coach of the Year honors in 2001, and the first of five CCAA Coach of the Year honors in 1995 in just his second year as head coach of the men's program.
Entering 2016, Flanagan stands as the 4th winningest Division II men's head coach at 71.2% and 15th in total victories with 313 wins amongst active coaches, while coming in 7th in winning percentage and 25th in victories amongst both past and present D-II head coaches.
In his 20 years directing the men's program, Flanagan has coached 33 All-Americans and three NSCAA National Players of the Year in Kevin Gallaugher (2008, 2009) and Juan Carlos Bolanos (2000).
Additionally, seven CCAA Players of the Year, 70 All-Region players, 126 All-CCAA and four CCAA Newcomers of the Year have been named under Flanagan's tutelage.
Many players also have signed professional contracts after, with reigning CCAA Defensive Player of the Year Tony Alfaro the most recent signee after joining the Seattle Sounders following the 2015 season.
Keeper Miguel Benitez also was selected as an MLS League Pool keeper after the 2008 championship season, joining midfielder Alex Bengard, a 2000 First Team All-America selection drafted in the 6th round of the MLS SuperDraft by the Galaxy, and former All-American Toro forward Kei Kamara (2004-05), who was chosen as the 9th overall pick in the 2005 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on January 20, 2006 by the Columbus Crew. Kamara went on to play in the English Premiere League and currently plays for the New England Revolution. Alejandro Covarrubias, a player from the 2013 team currently plays with Galaxy 2. Tony Alfaro was drafted into the MLS with the 27th pick this past season by the Seattle Sounders.
On the women's side, Flanagan has produced three All-Americans, one All-Region MVP, two CCAA Players of the Year, 33 All-Region selections, 48 All-CCAA designees and three-consecutive CCAA Newcomers of the Year (2007-09) in 12 years at the helm of the program, adding a CCAA Conference crown in a thrilling 1-0 double overtime win over Chico State in 2004 en route to an overall record of 143-87-27 as the women's head coach.
In 2009, the Toros pulled the upset of the year after advancing past host, undefeated and top-ranked West Florida in a scintillating penalty kick shootout before falling 1-0 in the championship game, a season that followed the 2008 campaign in which the Toro women made the NCAA playoffs for the fifth time in the past six years, notching a first-round win over San Francisco State before falling to top-seeded Western Washington in Bellingham, a 2nd-round appearance that mirrored the 2007 campaign that saw CSUDH defeat a CCAA school (UCSD) before falling to the top seed.
A true fixture in the South Bay and Cal State Dominguez Hills community, Flanagan has been associated with the University for over 20 years as a player and coach. He was a star midfielder for the Toros from 1986-89 under former head coach Marine Cano, earning All-Far West Region and All-CCAA honors three times. In 2000-01, Flanagan was honored as the Alumni of the Year by the CSUDH Alumni Association for his outstanding achievements on and off the field, as well as for being an excellent ambassador to the surrounding South Bay communities.
Flanagan's name is etched all over the Toros all-time records book. He is the all-time goals scored (38) leader and is tied for 2nd with 2003's CCAA Player of the Year Victor Guerrero in career points (89). Additionally, coach Flanagan holds the Toros' all-time record for most goals scored in a game with four against Metropolitan State (CO) on September 25, 1987.
Flanagan also has enjoyed an impressive professional career. He was named the Rookie of the Year in 1995 playing for the Los Angeles Salsa of the United States Independent Soccer League, and also played for the LA United (CISL) and the LA Heat (APSL) in the late 1980s.
An extremely popular youth teacher and coach in the South Bay, Flanagan holds several clinics in the off-season. He has been a part of the West Region ODP staff and a frequent speaker at the South Bay Athletic Club. A highly sought after clinician, Flanagan also serves as the Technical Director for Beach Futbol Club in the South Bay.
Flanagan is married to the former Julie Jamile, a past standout setter for the Santa Clara volleyball team. They reside in Palos Verdes with their sons Cade and Jack, and daughters Cas and Lane.
(January 2018)
