Jim McElderry
	Position: Head Coach Experience: 10th Year at Fordham Alma Mater: Fairfield '93

In 2003, Jim McElderry was hired as only the fourth head coach of the Fordham men's soccer program, and to this day, McElderry continues to put teams on the field that rank among the top in the Atlantic 10. McElderry's squads have produced four straight winning seasons, including a career-best 11 win campaign in 2011. During his tenure at Fordham, McElderry has shown a knack for bringing in strong recruiting classes. Thus far, five players have garnered preseason Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team honors, eight postseason Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team honors and 15 All-Atlantic 10 accolades, including six during the 2011 campaign (1 - 2004, 1 - 2006, 2 - 2007, 1 - 2008, 3 - 2009, 2 - 2010, 7 - 2011). The level of competition McElderry puts on the field each year is also recognized on the national level as his players have received 14 NSCAA awards in the last six seasons, including three in 2011. In 2005, the Rams posted an 8-5-5 record, the team's first winning season since 1998. The Rams ended the year ranked in the New York Region for the first time since 1998, while finishing as one of the most improved teams in the NCAA, tying for sixth in the country with a six-game improvement. Individually, the Rams had two players named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, one player as All-Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention, and one as Second Team All-New York Region. The Rams then took another step forward under McElderry in 2006, going 9-3-5 overall. The squad was nationally ranked as high as 12th in the country for half the season. Fordham was once again regionally ranked by year's end, having three players earn All-Atlantic 10 honors and two garner All-Mid-Atlantic Region accolades. In 2007, the Rams compiled a 5-4-0 conference record, making their first appearance in the Atlantic 10 Tournament since 1998. The 2008 squad also went to the A-10 postseason tournament boasting a 5-3-1 league mark. In McElderry's seventh season, Fordham finished third in the Atlantic 10 and made their third-consecutive appearances at the conference tournament. Three Rams were named to the All-Atlantic 10 lists and three earned All-Region accolades, the most regional awards a Fordham men's soccer team has ever received. The 2009 squad was also recognized by the NCAA for their Academic Progress Rate. The 2010 squad reached double-digit wins (10) for the first time during his tenure as head coach, while in 2011, the team took home a share of the regular season title, had seven players earn all-conference accolades and saw Coach McElderry earn Fordham's Coach of the Year Award at the Block F dinner. McElderry served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Fairfield, from 1993-2002. The Stags soccer program enjoyed unparalleled success in McElderry's last four years, advancing to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship game in each of those years. In 1998, the team broke into the top 25 for the first time in school history, finishing with a school-record 15 wins, highlighted by an 11-game unbeaten streak. In 1999, the Stags won their first ever MAAC championship and advanced to an NCAA Tournament play-in game, finishing with a 12-8-1 record. The 2000 Fairfield squad was again ranked in the top 25, placing as high as 15th, finishing with a 13-2-2 record, while the 2001 team was ranked as high as 12th, first in the New England region, compiling an 11-5-4 record and falling to Loyola in double overtime in the MAAC title game. McElderry has also been associated with the Region I Olympic Development Program and was on the Storm Academy Soccer Club staff for its multiple regional championships. Currently, McElderry is a scout for United States Soccer Federation Development Academy. A 1993 graduate of Fairfield with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and a minor in Economics, McElderry was a four-year letterman at Fairfield. He earned the 1992 MAAC Player of the Year award and also received All-MAAC honors as a back in 1991 and 1992. McElderry was inducted into the Fairfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. Following graduation, McElderry played professionally for the New York Fever of the A-League from 1994-97 and then for the Long Island Rough Riders (A-League) from 1997-98. He also played for the New York Freedoms, for four seasons. McElderry earned a Master of Arts degree in Teaching and Foundation from Fairfield in 1999. He resides in Stamford, Conn., with his wife, Kim (Connecticut College Hall of Fame member for field hockey), and their daughter, Grace (10), and son, Liam (7).