St. John Fisher College head coach Rob Searl continues to lead the Cardinals to new heights. Searl, who became head coach in 1996, has led Fisher to the postseason in nine out of the last 10 seasons, including the program's first ever Empire 8 Championship title in 2016 and a 2009 ECAC Upstate Championship title.
Following an 8-6-4 season in 2017 that included a 5-2-0 mark at Growney Stadium, the Cardinals were once again in title contention in 2018 as Searl's squad reached its third consecutive Empire 8 Championship after going 4-3-0 in league play. Coach Searl had one of his most successful seasons in 2016 as he led the team to an Empire 8 Conference Tournament title and the program's first ever trip to the Division III NCAA Tournament. After starting the campaign with a 1-7-1 record, Searl swung the end of the season around, concluding the season with a record of 6-3-1.
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Another impressive feat may have been in 2012 when Searl's Cardinals were picked to finish last in the Empire 8 Preseason Coaches Poll. Despite the doubters, Fisher finished 10-5-3 overall and 4-1-1 in conference play. For their regular season efforts, the Cardinals earned the No. 2 seed for the E8 Championship and bowed out after a hard-fought, 110-minute overtime game against Ithaca. The Bombers had to use 13 rounds of penalty kicks to move past Fisher.
Searl led the Cardinals to a 13-4-2 season in his inaugural campaign, the best record in the program’s history. Searl was a four-year letter-winner at Ohio Wesleyan, where he earned his undergraduate degree in History. He was also the head coach just up the road at Nazareth College from 1980 to 1995 and led the Golden Flyers to a 125-121-19 overall record.
Away from Fisher, Searl runs Fast Feet Soccer Training and lives in Pittsford with his wife, Virginia. They have a son, Ian, and a daughter, Molly, and are grandparents to twins.
5/30/19
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