Former MLS star Danny O’Rourke joins Indiana Hoosiers staff

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Via Indiana University) – Indiana University head men’s soccer coach Todd Yeagley announced the hiring of former Indiana and MLS standout Danny O’Rourke to the coaching staff on Wednesday.

O’Rourke established himself as one of the best Hoosiers in program history in his four seasons in Bloomington, helping IU win NCAA Championships in 2003 and 2004, serving as team captain both years. After his senior season, O’Rourke won the 2004 MAC Hermann Trophy, given to the top-player in the nation, after earning First-Team All-America honors.

“We are very excited to bring Danny back to IU,” Yeagley remarked. “Danny brings a wealth of experience to our soccer program after playing professionally for 11 years in MLS. Danny’s attention to detail, work ethic, competitive fire, along with strong leadership skills, enabled Danny to win titles at every level during his long and decorated career. Incorporating Danny’s talents and experience will benefit our staff and players as we look to grow and develop each and every year. As one of our all-time great captains, Danny epitomizes the core values of an IU soccer player. Having Danny back at Indiana will help IU soccer continue build upon our proud tradition of excellence.”

During his four-year career, IU posted an overall record of 69-15-9, winning four regular season Big Ten titles, two Big Ten Tournament championships and appeared in three College Cups. O’Rourke was a three-time First-Team All-Big Ten selection and a two-time Soccer America Collegiate MVP Team honoree. He was also named to the First-Team College Soccer News All-Freshman Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2001.

“First, I would like to thank Fred Glass and the entire Indiana University athletic department for this incredible opportunity,” O’Rourke said. “Seventeen years ago, I was fortunate enough to become part of the IU Soccer family. Bloomington became a second home, coaches became lasting mentors and teammates became lifelong friends. I look forward to implementing the same core values that I learned during my playing career to help guide these talented, young men both on and off the field, as well as to add some more hardware to the unrivaled trophy case in Assembly Hall.”

O’Rourke was also a standout in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors three times and Capital One/ CoSIDA Academic All-District distinction twice. In 2004, O’Rourke took home the top academic honor in the country, as he was named United Soccer Coaches Scholar Athlete of the Year.

After his tremendous career at Indiana, O’Rourke was drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. O’Rourke played 11 seasons in the MLS with the Earthquakes, New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew and Portland Timbers, earning 186 starts in 200 career matches. O’Rourke is a two-time MLS Cup winner, taking home the title with the Columbus Crew in 2008 and the Portland Timbers in 2015.

After retiring from the MLS, O’Rourke served as an undergraduate assistant coach with the Hoosiers during the 2016 season. With O’Rourke’s help, the Hoosiers posted a record of 12-2-7 and made the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

O’Rourke also served as the performance director at The Spot Athletics for a year, where he focused on implementing strength, movement capacity and resilience to both high school and college athletes.

O’Rourke earned his degree in Liberal Studies from Indiana in May of 2017, with an emphasis in biochemistry, neuroscience and kinesiology.