Rick Mobley is in his sixth year as the head men’s soccer coach at Lakeland in 2023. He also is in his fifth season as the Muskies' head men's tennis coach.
Mobley enters his 25th season as a collegiate head coach and has more than 200 career victories on the men’s side. He notched his 200th win with a victory over Beloit in the 2022 season, one in which the Muskies finished 3-11-3 overall.
Mobley’s work turning around the Muskies program includes the 2022 team finishing 6-7-2 overall and 5-6-1 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The team’s six wins were the program’s most in a season since 2014, and its overall record was the Muskies’ best since 2013. Lakeland five NACC wins also were its most in conference since 2011, and the team posted a five-game unbeaten streak late in the season, the program’s longest stretch without a loss since 2008.
Lakeland just missed out on a spot in the NACC Tournament for the second straight season, after also finishing 2-3-1 overall and in the NACC North Division in the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season. The Muskies were in line for their first appearance in the NACC Tournament since 2009 until their season ended early due to Covid protocols. Lakeland still posted its best overall winning percentage since 2013 and had a first team all-NACC performer (Michecadet Gethand) for the first time in ten years.
In his first year in 2018, Mobley took a team coming off a winless season the year before and won three times, including a three-match winning streak early in the season. Lakeland also made slight improvement in its record in 2019 with three wins and a tie, and also was competitive in many of its losses, with seven of its losses by two goals or less including three by a single goal.
Mobley came to Lakeland after having served as coach at Carroll University for 19 years, where he had tremendous success with the Pioneers. Mobley posted a record of 184-137-28 at Carroll, winning six Midwest Conference tournament championships, three regular season titles and making six trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Highlights of his tenure included Carroll winning its first-ever Midwest Conference championship in 2008, winning the league's post season tournament and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers also gained a Top 25 national ranking in 2009, getting as high as No. 12 in the NSCAA polls, and finished the campaign ranked No. 23. In 2012, Carroll also knocked off No. 12 Carleton (Minn.) College in the NCAA Tournament first round.
Along with coaching soccer at Carroll, Mobley was the Pioneers’ associate director of athletics and director of athletic communications. He was also previously director of sports information and coached the Carroll men’s tennis team from 2005-07.
Prior to coming to Carroll, Mobley played nine seasons of professional soccer, including seven season indoor with the Milwaukee Wave plus two seasons of outdoor soccer with the Charlotte Eagles. He was a member of the Wave's first championship team in 1997-98 and was voted the team's defender of the year in 1996 and 1997. Mobley retired from the Wave following the 1998-99 season due to injuries, and did so as the team's all-time leader in blocked shots. He was inducted into the Milwaukee Wave Hall of Fame on Jan. 13, 2013.
Mobley graduated from Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., with a degree in mass communication in 1993. He was a four-year starter on the NCAA Division I squad and was a three-year All-Big South Conference selection and an All-South Region honoree following his senior season in 1991.
Mobley is a native of Swansboro, N.C., and is married with wife Nicole and sons Nolan and Brady. He earned his master's degree from Concordia University (Calif.) in coaching and athletic administration in August 2013.
| Rick Mobley Career Soccer Coaching Record |
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| Carroll University |
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| Year |
Overall |
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| 1999 |
4-10-1 |
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| 2000 |
8-8 |
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| 2001 |
10-5-2 |
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| 2002 |
11-5-1 |
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| 2003 |
6-9-1 |
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| 2004 |
9-4-4 |
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| 2005 |
6-8-2 |
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| 2006 |
6-8-2 |
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| 2007 |
14-6-1 |
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| 2008 |
18-4 |
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| 2009 |
14-1-4 |
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| 2010 |
12-7-1 |
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| 2011 |
12-7-1 |
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| 2012 |
13-8-1 |
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| 2013 |
13-4-2 |
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| 2014 |
10-9-2 |
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| 2015 |
8-9-2 |
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| 2016 |
7-10-1 |
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| 2017 |
3-14-1 |
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| Career (19 seasons) |
184-136-26 |
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| Lakeland |
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| Year |
Overall |
Conf. |
NACC Finish |
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| 2018 |
3-16 |
0-11 |
12th |
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| 2019 |
3-16 |
0-11 |
12th |
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| 2020-21 |
2-3-1 |
2-3-1 |
5th (North) |
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| 2021 |
6-7-2 |
5-6-1 |
8th |
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| 2022 |
3-11-3 |
1-10-1 |
12th |
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| Career (5 seasons) |
17-53-6 |
8-41-3 |
