Former LCCC soccer coach inducted into Hall of Fame

CHEYENNE, Wyoming – Laramie County Community College’s former women’s soccer coach Jim Gardner has been included in the list of honorees to be inducted into the NJCAA Women’s Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame this year.

Gardner started the women’s soccer program at LCCC in 2002 and coached the Golden Eagles for 18 years, lifting the team to the top of the junior college athletic realm, including 11 NJCAA Region IX Championships, 11 NJCAA Division I National Tournament appearances and four trips to the national tournament semifinals. During his time at LCCC, he was recognized as the Region IX Coach of the year eight times and produced 34 NJCAA All-Americans and countless Academic All-Americans. Gardner’s record at LCCC was 250-70-28, and was founded on the motto of, win with humility and lose with grace.

Of his time at LCCC, Gardner shared, “No one is successful alone, and success is never achieved by being on an Island.  The help and support I have had from everyone at LCCC, has been amazing even to this day. My assistant coaches were the best in the country and my wife Lisa did more behind the scenes than anyone will ever know.” 

When Gardner thinks about his players and the opportunities that were provided, he said “I will cherish the memories. I will miss the players, the practices and the games more than anything. I hope that what will be remembered are the places we traveled, the fun that we had, friends that we made, careers that were set in motion, and the wins and losses that we shared.”

In addition to his successful career at LCCC, Gardner also helped create a Wyoming high school soccer dynasty, dedicating 28 years to coaching high school students. As a high school coach, he won eight state championships and was inducted into the Wyoming High School Coaches Hall of Fame, class of 2019. 

For a full list of all inductees for this year’s NJCAA Women’s Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame, visit njcaa.org.