St. Lawrence University Athletics

A National All-American and 1998 graduate from St. Lawrence University, Franco Bari became the head coach of the women's soccer program in the fall of 2008 and was also named an assistant athletic director in 2013.  Under his leadership, the squad made its first postseason appearance and its first 10-win season since 2003.  Since Bari's arrival, the Saints have maintained a regional ranking while also breaking onto the national stage. They reached a ranking of No. 25 during Bari's first season in 2008, and achieved the program's highest ranking since 2000 first during the 2013 season at No. 21 and then again in 2015.

He coached the Saints to their first-ever Liberty League Championship appearance in 2015 and led the program back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1989 that same season after receiving an at-large bid. The Saints also returned to the Liberty League championship game in 2016. 

Bari has compiled a 89-49-22 record with the Saints heading into the 2017 campaign, and has coached 44 Liberty League All-Conference players and 13 NSCAA Regional All-Americans in his nine years at the helm of the Saints program. Additionally the Saints have received the NSCAA's Team Academic Award, which is given to teams with a combined GPA of 3.0 or higher, five times under his guidance.

Prior to joining the St. Lawrence staff, where he also serves as the Coordinator of the Student-Athlete Development Program, Bari was the head coach at Greensboro College.  There he led the Pride to a 22-13-3 overall record.  From 2001 through 2005, Bari was the women's head coach at Elmira College, where he was named Empire 8 Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2002.  He also served as the assistant women’s soccer coach at Arizona State University from 1999 to 2001.

Bari was also the Director of Coaching at Guilford United Soccer Club and has professional playing experience. 

His long list of administrative experience includes service as the CHAMPS/Life Skills and Compliance Coordinator at Greensboro College, as well as College Administrator and Director of Community Outreach and Athlete Support Services at Elmira College. 

Bari married St. Lawrence University assistant women's hockey coach Mare MacDougall in the summer of 2013.