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, led 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.
Just over a year ago, in July 2023, the UNC soccer legend agreed to a five-year contract extension. His contract 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 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 in the collegiate and professional level. 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.
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, Ph.D said in a statement 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.