In his words, "I played one half in the field, hated it and moved into nets until I retired from the professional ranks ten years later.
After the fall 1980 collegiate season, Hanley decided against transferring to an NCAA college in favor of turning professional.
The team quickly moved to sign Hanley as a backup, but he ended up playing several games during the 1981 season.
He served in that capacity in the A-League and Premier Development League for teams including the, California Jaguars and Silicon Valley Ambassadors.
In 1997, Hanley was hired as the goalkeeper coach for the San Jose Clash of Major League Soccer.
In 2002, Stanford University hired Hanley as the goalkeeper coach for its men's soccer team.
He has also held positions with several northern Californian youth clubs such as: The Stanford Quake and Palo Alto Blue 93.