JON FORSYTHE NAMED HEAD MEN’S SOCCER COACH AT ONU
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Olivet Nazarene University Interim Athletic Director Justin Glenn announced Friday the hiring of Jon Forsythe as the head men's soccer coach, effective immediately.
Forsythe spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Crown College, an NCAA Division III institution in St. Bonifacius, Minn. There he led the Polars to the most wins in a single season in the program's NCAA history (since 2008) with 10 wins during the 2023 campaign.
"I am honored and thrilled to serve in the leading of the Olivet Nazarene University men's soccer program," said Forsythe. "I would like to thank Justin Glenn, Dr. Jason Stephens, and the rest of the team for their transparency and professionalism throughout the process.
"This role is a perfect fit for my professional objectives–not only to win championships and develop players to reach their highest level, but also to mentor student athletes to be the best students, leaders, and men of God possible. My family and I cannot wait to arrive in Bourbonnais and get started."
Under Forsythe's tutelage, the Polars had 10 student-athletes earn All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) honors and 13 UMAC Academic All-Conference selections. He totaled 18 wins over his two seasons at the helm and led Crown to the UMAC Tournament in 2022.
"I am thrilled to announce Jon Forsythe as the next head men's soccer coach at Olivet," said Glenn. "Throughout the search process, we were impressed with Jon's vision for the program and his proven ability to lead young men on and off the pitch. ONU men's soccer has a solid foundation of success, and we are confident that Coach Forsythe will lead the program to new heights."
Forsythe inherits an ONU squad coming off yet another great season in 2023, a season in which they won their third consecutive CCAC regular-season and Tournament titles. The 2023 Tigers posted a 12-4-3 record, including an 8-1-2 mark in league play, and made their 10th appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.
Prior to Crown College, Forsythe spent four seasons (2018-2021) as the head men's soccer coach at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Ill., where he led the Archers to a regional championship in 2020 and improved the team's winning percentage every year. Forsythe served as an assistant coach at MBI for two seasons prior to being promoted to head coach.
While at Moody, Forsythe also coached for the Chicago Fire in MLS, leading multiple youth teams to regional titles. He also worked for two years in their professional academy with the 17U team, where he worked with multiple current professional and youth national team players. Forsythe's coaching career began at Ambassadors FC, a youth club located in Cleveland, Ohio.
A 2015 graduate of the aforementioned Moody Bible Institute, Forsythe was a part of two NCCAA Championship teams in 2012 and 2013. He was a four-year letter winner for the Archers and was named a team captain by his teammates in his senior season.
Forsythe earned his bachelor's degree in Communications from Moody Bible before obtaining his master's in Bible and Theology from the Moody Theological Seminary.
Forsythe and his wife, Carolyn, have a son named Desmond.
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*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu