Central College Athletics

Garry Laidlaw has been the Central head men’s soccer coach since 1998 and is a four-time league coach of the year.

Inheriting a program that had never previously approached the .500 mark, Laidlaw put the program on steady footing and has a 237-220-28 (.518) career mark.

Picked for fifth place in the league in 2019, the Dutch instead captured the conference crown and gained their first NCAA Division III Championships berth, finishing with a 14-4-2 mark. The 2019 coaching staff was voted the league's coaching staff of the year.

Laidlaw and his three assistants were earlier cited as the 2016 conference coaching staff of the year after  piloting the squad to a seven-win increase over the previous campaign. He was also cited in in 2002, after guiding his team to a 16-0-1 regular season. He won the award again in 2008 after posted a 7-1 league mark and defeating two NCAA Division III tournament qualifiers in four days.

Previously, Laidlaw served as head boys’ soccer coach at Central High School in Champaign, Ill. for five seasons and was also at the helm of the girls’ squad for one year. He was named Illinois sectional coach of the year in 1995.

Born in England, Laidlaw grew up playing soccer in South Africa and Canada. He received his bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University where he was a three-time all-conference player and team captain. He was also a three-time all-region pick and was named the Mid-Continent Conference player of the year. Laidlaw later earned a tryout with the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Laidlaw received a master's degree in physical education from Eastern Illinois in 1991. He taught physical education at St. Mathew's School in Champaign, Ill. for six years. At Central, he also serves as an academic mentor and exercise science instructor.

Honors

Central College

• (2) Conference Coaching Staff of the Year Award - 2016, 2019
• (2) Conference Coach of the Year Award - 2002, 2008

Champaign Central HS

• (1) IHSAA Sectional Coach of the Year - 1995

Achievements

Central College

• 237-220-28 (.518) overall record, 101-97-11 (.510) mark in conference matches
• (2) Conference Most Valuable Player - 2010 (Brett McKenzie); 2019 (Taylor Petkovich - defense)
• (1) USC Division III All-American - 2019 (Taylor Petkovich, third team)
• (33) First-team all-conference performers
• (37) Second-team all-conference performers
• (1) Conference championships - 2019
• (2) Conference regular-season championships - 2002, 2019
• (1) Conference tournament finalist - 2012
• (10) Conference tournament semifinalist - 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2024
• (20) Conference tournament berths - 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2024
• (1) NCAA Division III Championships berth - 2019

Athletics career

• Played at Division I Eastern Illinois University
• (1) Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year - 1988
• (3) NSCAA  All-Midwest Region selections, second team - 1987, 1988, 1989
• (3) All-Mid-Continent Conference honors, first team - 1987, 1988, 1989
• Top-10 in Eastern Illinois University for career goals (32), career assists (24) and career points (88)
• Named to the Daily Eastern News Men's Soccer Team of the Century in 1999.
• Earned a tryout with the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 1990

Year-by-year record