CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – One of the most highly celebrated soccer coaches to ever step foot on the pitch is officially calling it a career.
University of North Carolina women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance, who’s led the Tar Heels to 21 NCAA championships, announced his retirement on Sunday afternoon after 45 seasons on the sideline. Dorrance, 73, informed UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham of his decision on Friday and then told his team over the weekend.
“As many of you know I modeled our program after Dean Smith’s basketball program, and retiring at this time is a credit to his thinking, as well,” Dorrance said in a released statement. “He would re-evaluate his tenure, not after the season, but after he had time to re-charge his batteries prior to the next season. When he didn’t, he retired. After last season I initially was excited about the chance to bolster our roster, which we most certainly have done, but as preseason training camp went on, I realized I didn’t have the same energy it takes to give 100% to this year’s team. The players and staff, the university, Carolina athletics and our great fans deserve more, and the respect I have for the amazing legacy the current and former players have built led me to make this decision at this time.”
“Anson is an all-time soccer, coaching and Tar Heel legend,” Cunningham said in a released statement. “The numbers and accomplishments are staggering and will be hard for any coach or program to replicate or exceed. His impact on the development and growth of women’s sports across the country and around the world has been profound. Not only did he elevate women’s sports in the NCAA, but he also led the early dominance of the United States Women’s National Team. With Anson at the helm numerous Tar Heels raised trophies in the World Cup and later in the Olympics.”
Dorrance, one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of college sports, guided the Tar Heels to unprecedented success. The 1974 UNC graduate spearheaded his alma mater to a 934-88-53 record over the course of 45 seasons.
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File- North Carolina women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance watches his team during a game against Clemson at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C., in this Oct. 18, 2001 file photo. (AP Photo/Bob Jordan, File) -
MORAGA, CA – SEPTEMBER 24: Coach Anson Dorrance talks with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels women’s soccer team while training on September 24, 1994 at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
Just over a year ago, the UNC soccer legend agreed to a five-year contract extension. His deal was set to run through the 2028 season.
His 21 national titles mark the most ever by a head coach in any NCAA Division I sport. The Tar Heels also played in six other NCAA championship games with Dorrance at the helm.
Dorrance also overlapped as both the men’s and women’s coaches early in his career, but his greatest success was associated with the women.
In Atlantic Coast Conference play alone, UNC clinched at least a portion of the regular-season title 25 times and secured the ACC Tournament crown on 22 occasions.
The Tar Heels have made 31 appearances in the NCAA College Cup, which is 17 more than any other program. UNC is the only team to compete in every NCAA Tournament.
“It is no exaggeration to say Anson Dorrance is one of the greatest collegiate coaches of all time, in any sport,” UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said in a statement. “He has trained many of the best players in the history of U.S. women’s soccer and has led our program through decades of unparalleled success. Coach Dorrance has shaped the sport for generations to come and leaves an unequaled legacy at Carolina.”
Many of Dorrance’s players went on to flourish at the collegiate and professional levels. He coached 19 players who won National Player-of-the-Year honors, including three-time honoree Cindy Parlow (Cone), the current president of U.S. Soccer, and Mia Hamm, who was named the ACC’s Greatest Female Athlete in the league’s first 50 years.
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President George Bush heads a soccer ball while meeting the 1991 Women’s World Cup soccer champions, in Washington. Anson Dorrance, coach of the team is at center. The 1999 and 2015 U.S. Women’s World Cup teams have received plenty of attention and accolades over the years, but not much has been reported about the 1991 team that won the first Women’s World Cup. “Sports Illustrated’s” Grant Wahl is hoping to change that. The magazine is debuting a new podcast called “Throwback” with the first season focused on how the Women’s World Cup started.(AP Photo/Barry Thumma, File) -
CHAPEL HILL, NC – AUGUST 18: North Carolina head coach Anson Dorrance is flanked by his assistants Damon Nahas, Nathan Thackeray, and Brittani Bartok during a game between Tennessee and North Carolina at Dorrance Field on August 18, 2022 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) -
14 August 2015: UNC women’s soccer head coach Anson Dorrance and his players watch the game. The University of North Carolina Tar Heels hosted the Winthrop University Eagles at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, NC in a 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer preseason exhibition. North Carolina won the game 4-1. (Photo by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In total, 59 former Tar Heels ended up playing for the U.S. women’s national team. Two of these players, Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox, recently took home the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“What Anson Dorrance has done for women’s soccer – at the collegiate, professional and international level – is beyond compare,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement on Sunday. “Without Anson, it is undeniable that the sport of women’s soccer is not what it is today. He has been a champion of the sport, and specifically to the countless women’s soccer players he has coached and mentored. His legacy is unrivaled, and we will miss having him on the sidelines.”
Dorrance was also the head coach of the U.S. women’s national team from 1986 until 1994, even winning the first-ever Women’s World Cup in China in 1991.
His tenure as head coach is the second longest in school history, only after former UNC fencing coach Ron Miller, who guided the program for 52 years.
In a press conference on Monday afternoon, UNC named Damon Nahas as the interim head coach for the 2024 season. He originally joined the Tar Heel staff back in November 2015.
Dorrance offered a ringing endorsement for Nahas, saying he’s the best soccer coach in the country, and even included himself in that pool.
“What’s happened in the last couple of years is that we were fortunate enough to convince Damon Nahas to be a part of our staff and he is remarkable in every respect,” Dorrance said when he hired Nahas in 2015. “He’s not only good in every training session where he brings a cutting edge to player development, but he’s also a fabulous recruiter and he ties us into the national youth teams programs which is vital in modern day recruiting. His energy in the office is great and his dream is to continue the player development capital that we’ve developed.”
UNC officials said they plan to conduct a nationwide search for a permanent replacement at the end of the season.
You can watch further coverage of Dorrance’s retirement press conference in the video below:
