Farewell to the GOAT

Trying to make definitive statements about the all-time greatest American collegiate coach is a fool's game. One can make legitimate arguments for people as diverse as Dean Smith, John Gagliardi, Pat Summitt, Nick Saban, and Bill Bowerman, to name just a few. This week, though, a name that's unquestionably in the discussion hung up his whistle and joined the pantheon of retired greats.

In terms of impact on a sport and in turn a society, it's not a stretch to say that Anson Dorrance was one of the prime movers that laid the foundation beginning in the 1970s for the explosive growth of women's athletics that continues apace. Dorrance led the University of North Carolina women's soccer program from 1979 until his retirement yesterday. During that span, his teams went 934-88-53 and won 22 national championships. No Division I coach in any sport has won as many titles.

Dorrance coached 19 national players of the year, from April Heinrichs to Cindy Parlow Cone to Mia Hamm, among others. Eight members of the fabled 99ers, winners of the 1999 Women's World Cup, were Tar Heels, as are Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox, who just earned gold medals as starters on the 2024 U.S. Olympic champions. From 1985 to 2010, UNC played more than 600 games in a row without losing by more than a single goal. And lest we think age had slowed down the 73 year-old Dorrance, his most recent team saw a league-record six athletes selected in the 2024 NWSL Draft, including the top two picks, Aly Sentnor and Savy King.

His influence and sustained excellence drove other programs to invest in the women's game, and the women he coached and worked with expanded his reach broadly. As far as Leesburg, VA, as it turns out. 

When I started coaching, I had very little experience leading teams of young women. My best friend and I coached a team of 15-18 year-old girls when we were seniors in high school, but most of them were either our sisters or our friends. That didn't really count. As I became more serious about it, I read a lot of what Dorrance had to say. Among the things that stand out was a revelation that occurred to him early in his career. 

Dorrance started coaching men (and in fact won 172 games as the head coach of UNC's men's team from 1977-88, doing double duty for nearly a decade), and started as a women's coach using the same approach. He quickly realized that he needed to change. One of the lessons he learned early on was the importance of the social element of a team to female athletes - he spoke in a Sports Illustrated profile years ago of building time for socialization into each practice, something he learned from his players and was humble enough to employ and embrace. He also wrote, "Early on, I learned you don’t lead women effectively with intimidation. You lead by gaining their respect, being sensitive to their strengths and weaknesses, and showing that you value their contributions. You will not succeed if women feel their relationship with you is simply dependent on their soccer success." 

I've taken those lessons with me to every training session and game I've ever coached. And in truth, the building of relationships with the kids I coach turns out to mean a lot more to me than the results on the field. 

Anson Dorrance wasn't perfect. He admitted as much when apologizing in the late 90s for his role in what he said was teasing banter with players that led several athletes to file a complaint alleging that he created an uncomfortable environment. But a world that now celebrates the on-field accomplishments of women across a broad range of athletic pursuits has a great deal for which to thank him and the women that he led, inspired, and sent out to do greater things.