CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Anson Dorrance, who won the most NCAA championships by a head coach in a Division I sport in college history with 21, is retiring after 45 seasons leading the North Carolina women’s soccer program.
The Tar Heels said Dorrance informed athletic director Bubba Cunningham of his plans on Friday and notified the team on Sunday, four days before the season opener in Denver.
Dorrance began his career coaching both the men’s and women’s teams, but his greatest success came with the women.
Associate head coach Damon Nahas will serve as the women’s interim coach this season. Cunningham plans to begin searching for a new coach.
“As many of you know, I modeled our program after Dean Smith’s basketball program, and him retiring now is also a testament to his mindset,” Dorrance said in a statement. “He would reevaluate his tenure, not after the season, but after he had time to recharge his batteries before the next season. When he didn’t do that, he retired.”
Dorrance said he was excited about the season but then realized he didn’t have the energy to give 100% of his attention.
Dorrance, 73, is one of the most successful coaches in college sports.
Dorrance, the first and only head coach of the Tar Heels women’s soccer team, led UNC to a record of 934-88-53 in 45 seasons (1979-2023). He also coached the men’s team from 1977-88, winning 172 games and leading UNC to an ACC title and a berth in the NCAA Final Four in 1987.
“Anson is an all-time football, coaching and Tar Heel legend,” Cunningham said. “The numbers and accomplishments are staggering and will be hard for any coach or program to replicate or surpass. His impact on the development and growth of women’s sports across the country and around the world has been profound.”
The North Carolina women’s soccer team has won 22 national championships (AIAW 1981 and 21 NCAA titles) and appeared in six additional national championship games.
The 934 wins, 21 NCAA titles and 147 NCAA Tournament victories are the most in women’s soccer history. The Tar Heels enter the 2024 season having been on the all-time list for 513 consecutive weeks.
“It is no exaggeration to call Anson Dorrance one of the greatest college coaches of all time, in any sport,” said UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts. “He coached many of the best players in the history of U.S. women’s soccer and led our program through decades of unprecedented success.”
Dorrance’s career was marred when former Tar Heels players Melissa Jennings and Debbie Keller, a national player of the year, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in August 1998, alleging that Dorrance created an uncomfortable atmosphere by asking female players about their sexual activities.
Dorrance denied harassing his players, but admitted in an apology letter to engaging in “joking or teasing” conversations with groups of players. The case was eventually settled in 2008.
Dorrance has been named national coach of the year seven times and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He is the top Division I coach at the NCAA championships in any sport. Al Scates (UCLA men’s volleyball) and John McDonnell (Arkansas indoor men’s track and field) are tied for second with 19 wins.
The North Carolina women’s soccer team has won more NCAA championships than any other women’s team. Stanford’s women’s tennis team ranks second with 20. UNC’s 21 NCAA championships are the fifth-most of any team in Division I history.
Dorrance led the Tar Heels to five perfect seasons (undefeated and tied) and six more seasons of no losses and three or fewer ties. He coached 19 players who were named national players of the year, including three-time winner Cindy Parlow (Cone), current president of US Soccer, and Mia Hamm, who was named the ACC’s greatest female athlete in the league’s first 50 years.
Dorrance was head coach of the US national team from 1986 to 1994 and led them to the title at the first Women’s World Cup in China in 1991.
