CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Anson Dorrance, whose 21 NCAA championships are the most by a head coach in any Division I sport in college history, is retiring after 45 seasons leading the women's soccer program at North Carolina.
The Tar Heels said Dorrance informed athletic director Bubba Cunningham of his plans on Friday and told the team on Sunday, four days before the season opener in Denver.
Dorrance also worked as a coach for both the men's and women's teams early in his career, but his greatest success was with the women's team.
Associate head coach Damon Nahas will serve as interim coach of the women's team this season. Cunningham plans to conduct a search for a new coach.
“As many of you know, I modeled our program after Dean Smith's basketball program, and retiring at this time is also a credit to him,” Dorrance said in a statement. “I 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, he retired.”
Dorrance said he was excited to start the season, but came to the conclusion that he didn't have the energy to give 100 percent at work.
Dorrance, 73, is one of the most successful coaches in college athletics.
Dorrance, the Tar Heels' first and only women's soccer coach, led UNC to a 934-88-53 record in 45 seasons (1979-2023). He also coached the men's team from 1977-88, winning 172 games and guiding UNC to an ACC title and a berth in the NCAA Final Four in 1987.
“Anson is a legend of football, of teaching and of the Tar Heels,” Cunningham said. “The numbers and accomplishments are astounding and will be difficult for any coach or program to replicate or surpass. Her 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 in 1981 and 21 NCAA titles) and has played in six other 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 ranked for 513 consecutive weeks.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Anson Dorrance is one of the greatest college coaches of all time, in any sport,” said UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts. “He has coached many of the greatest players in the history of U.S. women's soccer and has led our program through decades of unparalleled success.”
Dorrance's career was tarnished when former Tar Heels players Melissa Jennings and national player of the year Debbie Keller filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in August 1998. They claimed Dorrance created an uncomfortable environment by asking the players about their sexual activity.
Dorrance denied harassing his players, but in a letter of apology he acknowledged engaging in “joking or teasing” jokes with groups of players. The case was eventually settled in 2008.
Dorrance, a seven-time national coach of the year, is a member of the National Football Hall of Fame. He is the coach with the most career Division I championships in any sport. Al Scates (UCLA men's volleyball) and John McDonnell (Arkansas men's indoor track and field) are tied for second with 19.
North Carolina's 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 rank fifth in Division I history.
Dorrance led the Tar Heels to five perfect seasons (no losses, no ties) and six more seasons with no losses and three or fewer ties. He coached 19 players who won national player of the year awards, including three-time honoree Cindy Parlow (Cone), the current president of U.S. Soccer, and Mia Hamm, who was named the ACC's top female athlete in the league's first 50 years.
Dorrance was the head coach of the United States national team from 1986 to 1994, leading them to the title at the inaugural Women's World Cup in China in 1991.
