Oliver Harris - Men's Soccer Coach - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Oliver Harris

Title:
Volunteer Assistant Men's Soccer Coach
Email:
harriso@bgsu.edu

Oliver Harris recently completed his first season on the Bowling Green State University men's soccer staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Head coach Eric Nichols announced the addition of Harris, a Notre Dame alumnus, to his staff in May of 2018.

"Oliver is a fantastic player who has played at a high level and has learned from two incredible coaches in Bobby Clark and Lars Richters," said Nichols at the time of the hiring. "We are excited to welcome him into our family and to tap into some of those experiences."

BGSU closed the 2018 season with an overall record of 6-7-4, and the Falcons posted a 2-1-2 mark in MAC play. BG, picked to place fifth in the six-team conference, finished second and earned a first-round bye for the league tourney. The '18 campaign marked BGSU's second second-place finish in the last three seasons.

BG went 5-1-2 over the final eight contests of the 2018 regular season, including a six-match unbeaten streak, the program's longest since 1997.

Harris, a native of Birmingham, Mich., was a four-year member of the men's soccer team at Notre Dame, helping the Fighting Irish to two Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season titles as well as the national championship in 2013.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the BGSU men's soccer program," said Harris. "For me, it was an easy choice based upon what I heard about Eric and where he's taken his program in the last nine years. From what I understand, we've got a very strong team coming back in the fall and I hope to contribute towards the team's success. I'd like to thank Bobby Clark and Lars Richters for all of their help along the way."

Harris played in a total of 44 matches, including 41 over his final two seasons. He made 20 starts as a holding midfielder in his junior season of 2015, and started 19 contests in his senior year. Harris had three points in that senior campaign, including the winning goal in UND's victory over sixth-ranked Indiana. He helped the Irish post 18 shutouts during his final two seasons.

Harris graduated from Detroit Country Day, where he earned two letters. He was voted team MVP by his teammates as a junior, and was named team captain as a senior, but was unable to play the latter season due to conflicts with th U.S. Soccer Academy. Harris played club ball for the Crew Soccer Academy (CSA) Wolves, captaining that team to a third-place finish in the U15/16 division at Development Academy Finals Week. He was selected to play for the U16 Academy team at Derby County FC in England in 2011.

Harris played for the U.S. Olympic Development Program Michigan state team in both 2008 and '09.

Off the pitch, Harris was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll twice while at Notre Dame. He completed an internship with Morgan Stanley in his hometown following graduation from high school, and has worked for various companies over the last several years. Harris was a market research analyst with the Big Shoulders Fund in Chicago, working to find scholarship money for struggling inner-city schools.

Harris also was a corporate finance intern with KPMG in Mumbai, India, and most recently worked as a financial advisor with McAdam Financial Group in Chicago. He was selected by his collegiate coaches to participate in a year-long leadership program with the Rosenthal Leadership Academy in Indiana, and volunteered with Grassroots Soccer in Zimbabwe, Africa, working with local children and teaching them about the prevention of HIV/AIDS through soccer.

Harris earned his degree from Notre Dame in 2017, graduating from the Mendoza College of Business with a degree in management consulting.