After 34 days without a head coach, Alabama soccer has found one.
Alabama Director of Athletics Bill Battle announced Wes Hart as the next soccer head coach Thursday morning. Hart served as an assistant coach at Florida State for two seasons, including the program’s first national championship in 2014.
“Wes brings a unique and distinctive background that spans across all major levels of elite soccer, including being a national champion as a player, club coach and Division I women’s soccer assistant coach just a season ago,” Battle said in the release. “I am confident that Wes’s array of experiences will successfully translate and resonate with our entire soccer program. I strongly believe that Wes will be an excellent head coach, and will provide our student-athletes with ample opportunities for success on and off the field.”
During his tenure with the Seminoles, Hart helped orchestrate the offense, assisted with player development and video analysis. He also helped with recruiting and scouting.
“I am grateful for my time at Florida State,” Hart said. “I had the privilege of working for the best coach in women’s college soccer. My two years working for Coach (Mark) Krikorian and with (assistant coach) Mike Bristol are invaluable. I learned things that cannot be taught by taking a coaching course or reading a book. For two years, I lived it. When you see the amount of time and attention that goes into everything they do, it’s not hard to realize why FSU is on top right now.”
Florida State had 129 goals and 149 assists during his tenure. The Seminoles won back-to-back ACC championships, made two College Cup appearances, finished as the national runner-up and won a national title. Two of the players earned All-American accolades during Hart’s two years.
“Wes is an outstanding coach with a great background in the game,” Florida State head coach Mark Krikorian said. “He is a hard worker and I am fully confident that he will bring the Alabama program to new heights. Wes undoubtedly played an integral part in helping us win the national championship this past year.”
Before coaching, Hart played six seasons in the MLS. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2000 MLS Super Draft by the Colorado Rapids. He played four seasons with the Rapids before spending his last two years in the league with the San Jose Earthquakes. With the Rapids, he started 60 of 68 games played and started seven of 10 MLS playoff games during that time. With the Earthquakes, he played in 25 games with 14 starts.
Hart was named the MLS Humanitarian of the Year in 2000 and 2001.
In college, Hart started playing at the University of Wisconsin before transferring to the University of Washington for his final two seasons in 1998 and 1999. He earned third-team All-American honors in 1998 and second-team honors in 1999. He was named. a first-team Scholar All-American by the NSCAA in 1999.
“My background as a player has certainly helped me in my coaching,” Hart said. “I know what is realistic and what is not. I know exactly what type of commitment it takes to be a successful college soccer player and what it takes to be a pro. I’m fortunate to have played for a variety of coaches along the way. I played for three different coaches in college and three in MLS. Much of what I do as a coach today is based off of my playing experiences with those coaches.”
