Brendan Connolly is in his 11th season as Jones College's head men's soccer coach.
Connolly has managed Jones to a 120-42-12 (.724) record and won all six of the program's MACCC Championships in the past eight years. He's also led the Bobcats to NJCAA Division II Tournament appearances in 2025, 2022 and the spring 2021 season.
Connolly led the Bobcats to a 16-3-3 mark in 2025 – tying a single-season school record for wins – en route to conference, region and district titles, a No. 10 NJCAA final ranking and Gulf South District Coach of the Year honors.
Connolly and company have also been recognized four times as the MACCC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Jones closed the season on a seven-match unbeaten streak, including a 3-1 win over St. Louis and 0-0 double overtime draw with Phoenix (4-3 PK's) in the national tournament, who went on to capture the program's first-ever national title.
The Bobcats have lost just two conference matches in the last four seasons under Connolly, boasting a remarkable 36-2-5 mark in that span.
Connolly managed Jones to a 11-3-3 record in 2024 and MACCC Championship and 14-3-2 record in 2023 and runner-up finish. The Bobcats were snubbed for national tournament appearances both years.
Jones completed the program's first-ever undefeated regular season on its way to conference, region and district titles in 2022. The lone blemish on a remarkable 16-1 season was a setback to eventual national champion Prairie State College, 2-0, in the national tournament.
History was also made on October 10, 2022, when both the NJCAA Division II Poll and United Soccer Coaches tabbed Jones as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time.
Prior to going 11-3-1 in the 2021 fall season, Jones finished 13-4 in a CoVID-19 postponed season with a perfect 7-0 mark at home in the spring of 2021. They ran roughshod through the conference/region tournament, outscoring Holmes, Hinds and No. 12 Pearl River 17-3 to claim a third-straight championship.
Behind Elean Fajardo's double overtime golden goal, Jones won its first NJCAA Tournament game in program history, 2-1, over No. 8 Southeastern (Iowa) on June 6.
Jones' 2019 squad was unbeaten in September and October and defeated MGCCC 4-3 in penalty kicks in the title match. JC started the year 4-4 before finishing 12-6-1.
Jones went 14-3-1 in 2018 and won its first MACCC championship with a thrilling, 2-1 OT victory over Southwest. The Bobcats advanced to the NJCAA South District playoffs for the first time in school history, dropping a 3-0 decision at No. 4 Tyler JC.
Connolly has coached all eight of Jones' NJCAA and United Soccer Coaches All-Americans in program history and 37 four-year players.
The Bobcats have also been recognized as an NJCAA and United Soccer Coaches All-Academic Team in six consecutive seasons, a commitment to winning on and off the pitch.
The Belfast, Ireland, native joined the JC coaching staff as an assistant in August 2011 working mostly with the goalkeepers for both the men’s and women’s teams at one time and an instructor in the HPR Department before being named head coach prior to the start of the 2016 season.
Connolly played soccer in Ireland for Newington, Glentoran and Cliftonville. He came to the United States in August of 2007 on a soccer scholarship to William Carey University. He was a part of the WCU men’s soccer program from 2007-10.
The Crusaders won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) in 2007 and participated in the NAIA men’s soccer national championships in 2009 and 2010. The Crusaders were also ranked in the Top 25 during his time at WCU.
Connolly was named an Academic All-American in 2010 and graduated with a BS degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from WCU in August of 2011. He earned his master’s in Sports Management in 2013 at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Brendan is married to the former Kathryn Ferrell of Hattiesburg and the couple have a three-year-old son, John.
