Men's soccer | Turner leaves soccer after 23 years of service

The Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer team faces even more uncertainty, as their hope of rebounding from last year’s 0-17 season will now involve a new coach.

Head coach Tom Turner announced his retirement on Saturday from a position he has held for the last 23 years.

Turner’s affiliation with St. Joe’s started on the playing field, where he starred as a defender from 1970-1973. He took over as head coach in 1987 after 10 years in the same capacity at La Salle College High School. He is just the third coach to steer the Hawks in its 51-year history.

Turner’s coaching highlights include two trips to the Atlantic 10 Tournament (1993, 1994), and a school record 12 wins in 1993. He was named the Atlantic 10 and Philadelphia Soccer 7 “Coach of the Year” that season, and earned a second Soccer 7 “Coach of the Year” honor in 2001.

Turner holds the school record for most wins in a career, 124, as well as most losses, 267. His career win percentage of .294, however, is the lowest in the program’s history.
The program has struggled lately, amassing a mere 17 wins in the last six seasons, punctuated by what was one of the worst statistical seasons in all of Division I in 2009.

Turner has also struggled with developing talent in recent years—the most obvious example of which has been Colin Baker, ’11,—with promising young players typically unable to advance their skills over time at St. Joe’s.