Rick Mobley is in his fourth year as the head men’s soccer coach at Lakeland. He also is in his third season as the Muskies' head men's tennis coach and in 2021 also adds duties coaching the Lakeland women’s soccer team.
Mobley will enter his 23rd season as a collegiate head coach in 2021 with nearly 200 career victories and will continue his work turning around the Muskies program that saw considerable progress even in a COVID-19 affected season in 2020-21. Lakeland finished 2-3-1 overall and in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference North Division, and was in line for its first appearance in the NACC Tournament since 2009 until its season ended early due to Covid protocols. The Muskies still posted their 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 most recently was 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.
