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Kevin O'Brien has been a member of the 49ers coaching staff since the 2002 season and is in third season as the program's top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. His recruiting knowledge has paid dividends as the 49ers have posted a 21-12-7 record mostly with underclassmen on the roster over the past two seasons.
He has been an assistant at the collegiate level for 12 years, the professional ranks for one year and brings a wealth of knowledge to the 49ers program. Before moving to Charlotte, O'Brien spent the 1997-99 seasons coaching at the Creighton University (Missouri Valley Conference) and the 2000-01 seasons at Oregon State University (Pac-10).
"In order to have an NCAA Tournament caliber program, we must recruit well and coach well," O'Brien said. "Looking towards the future, I feel supremely confident that the program is in great shape in both of these departments. We are holding our players accountable, in both training and games, to a standard of play that is higher than ever before."
The College of Charleston graduate brings a great deal of playing experience to the 49ers' coaching staff . In his college days, he was a two-time All-TAAC and All-TAAC Tournament selection at the College of Charleston. In 1994, O'Brien helped lead the Cougars to the NCAA quarterfinals (losing to UCLA 3-2) and an NSCAA Top 20 National Ranking. In 1995, he was named to the NSCAA All-Region team, played in another NCAA Championship, and was voted to play in the Umbro Senior Bowl Game.
He played for several professional teams since his graduation in 1996. In 1996, he was a member of the South Carolina Shamrocks. In 1997, he played for the Charleston Battery. In 1998, he was a member of the Charlotte Eagles. However, he did not play professionally during his time coaching at Oregon State. In 2001, he returned to the Eagles and led the A-League franchise to consecutive playoff appearances. He captained the Eagles team for both the 2003 and 2004 campaigns.
He holds a USSF "A" License and the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. He has spent seven years coaching in the Olympic Development Program (ODP) and won a National Championship with the `88 Boy's North Carolina ODP team in 2006, and took the N.C. `91 Boy's to the Nationals in 2007. O'Brien will be leaving the ODP program in 2008 and will join the U.S. Soccer's staff as a Developmental Academy head coach with NMSC.
O'Brien married his wife, Shannon, a former University of Arizona women's soccer player and former Charlotte Lady Eagle, on April 12, 2003. They reside in Charlotte and have a one-year old daughter Keely.
email: menssoccer@uncc.edu
