EWING, N.J. – TCNJ head men's soccer coach George Nazario announced Tuesday that he is retiring after 28 seasons with the Lions.

Nazario racked up 263 career victories with the Lions, good for 26th in Division III among active coaches. He led TCNJ to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program's first Division III team championship in 1996 and a return trip to the national final in 1997.

Under Nazario's watch, TCNJ captured the NJAC championship in 2005 and was runner-up in 2002 and 2010.

In his first season, Nazario took the Lions to the NCAA quarterfinals in 1995 before bringing home the national title in 1996 with a 2-1 victory over Kenyon in a 4-OT thriller. The Lions fell to Wheaton in the championship match in 1997 and made it back to the quarterfinals in 2005.

Nazario is a two-time NCSCAA Metro Region Coach of the Year, garnering that honor in both 1996 and 2005, and was named NJAC Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2010.

Nazario had an exceptional playing career, earning All-American honors at Union High School and winning a national championship with the Union Lancers Under-19 Team in 1987. He went on to lead Seton Hall to three Big East Conference championships and four NCAA Division I Championship Tournament appearances in 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1990. He was named Big East Player of the Year in 1987 and 1990 and served as the Pirates team captain in 1990. Following his collegiate career, Nazario was a member of the Puerto Rican National Soccer Team from 1992 to 1998.

Nazario is a member of the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame, and his 1996 team was inducted into the TCNJ Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.