Dan Gaspar, a native of Hartford, Connecticut, made history in 1993 when he became the first American born soccer coach to accept a full-time coaching position in Europe with Sporting Lisbon of the Portuguese First Division. As goalkeeper coach, he helped lead Sporting Lisbon to the Portuguese National Cup title in 1995.

In 2005, he was named head men's soccer coach at the University of Hartford in June of 2005. He is the eighth coach in program history and will begin his fourth season at the helm of the Hawks in the fall of 2008.

The hiring serves as a homecoming for Gaspar, who played in goal for the University of Hartford Hawks from 1974-77 and received a degree in Business Management. He posted a career goals against average of 1.52 and averaged 87 saves and 930 minutes per season. He helped lead Hartford to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1976 and 1977, and an ECAC tournament appearance in 1974. Gaspar was named All-New England and participated in the Senior Bowl in 1977 and was a first round draft choice in the American Soccer Pro League. Prior to attending the University of Hartford, Dan graduated from Buckley High School in Hartford and was a four-time All-State Soccer Player.

Gaspar brings a wealth of international soccer experience to The University of Hartford. He has trained the goalkeepers of the 1996 U.S. Men's Olympic Team, the 1991 U.S. Women's National Team, and the U.S. Men's Under 18 and Under 17 National Teams in 1998 and 1996. In addition to his coaching experience with the U.S. Olympic program and Portuguese teams, he has also been an Assistant Coach in Japan with the Grampus Eight, winners of the 1996 Asian Cup and served on the coaching staff of the South African National Team during 2001.

In 1999, he served as the associate head men's soccer coach at Central Connecticut State University. From 2000-02, Gaspar served as head coach of the Connecticut Wolves in the USL Pro League. In 2002, he led the Wolves to a New England Cup Championship as well as the D3 semifinals. Gaspar has also held coaching positions with both the Portuguese and South African national teams as well as an assistant coaching position with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of Major League Soccer.

In 2003, Gaspar returned to Portugal to serve as goalkeeper coach for SL Benfica where he helped lead the team to the Portuguese Cup Championship. In 2004, Gaspar was appointed goalkeeper coach of FC Porto who where crowned World Club Champions in Japan by beating Once Caldas of Columbia. In 2002 Dan Gaspar was inducted into Hartford's Athletics Hall of Fame, New England Hall of Fame and the Connecticut Soccer Association Hall of Fame.

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductions, he has also served as President of the Connecticut Soccer Ambassadors and a Program Assessor for the Boys & Girls Club Region One Olympic Development. Gaspar is a technical consultant to Project 2010, a plan commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation to win the World Cup in 2010. He is the founder and president of the highly respected Star Goalkeeper Academy as well as the owner and director of the Connecticut Soccer School. He is also the author of, "Keeper's Line" newsletter, numerous soccer publication articles and the producer of several soccer education CD's.

Dan, the son of Manuel and Amelia Gaspar, formerly of Portugal, resides in South Glastonbury, with his wife Maria and his two son's Daniel and Jordan. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.