Anson Dorrance
Encyclopedia
Anson Dorrance is the head coach of the women's soccer program
at the University of North Carolina
. He has one of the most successful coaching records in the history of athletics. Under Dorrance's leadership, the Tar Heels have won 20 of the 28 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
s. The Tar Heels' record under Dorrance is 719-39-24 (.935 winning percentage) over 33 seasons as of September 9, 2011. He has led his team to a 101-game unbeaten streak and coached 13 different women to a total of 20 National Player of the Year awards. The NCAA has recognized Dorrance as the Women's Soccer Coach of the Year seven times (1982, 1986, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006) and as the Men's Soccer Coach of the Year in 1987. On March 10, 2008 Dorrance was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame
.
on April 9, 1951, the son of an American oil executive. He spent his youth moving with his family throughout Europe and Africa. Of all the places he lived, three had particular influences on his later life. In Addis Ababa
, Ethiopia
he met his future wife, M'Liss Gary, the daughter of the U.S. Air Force attache
to Ethiopia. He attributes his love of soccer to his years living in Kenya
and finally, he gained his education from the boarding school, Villa St. Jean International School
, in Fribourg
, Switzerland
from which he graduated in 1969.
After graduating from Villa St. Jean, he moved to the United States and attended St Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas
. He transferred after the fall term to the University of North Carolina
. His love of soccer led him to walk onto the school's soccer team, then coached by Marvin Allen, where he was a three time All-ACC player. In 1974 he graduated with a B.A.
in English and Philosophy. That year he also married his childhood sweetheart, M'Liss Gary.
Under the influence of his father, Dorrance entered North Carolina Central University
Law School in 1976, later transferring to the University of North Carolina School of Law
. That same year, Coach Allen convinced Dorrance to succeed him as the UNC men's soccer coach. From 1977 until 1988 Dorrance compiled a 175-65-21 (.708) record with the team. His greatest success with the men's team came in 1987 when he led them to the Atlantic Coast Conference
championship and the NCAA Final Four. That same year he also won the NCAA Men's Soccer Coach of the Year.
(AIAW) title. When Dorrance began coaching the Lady Tar Heels, the NCAA did not have a women's soccer championship. When the NCAA showed no interest in establishing one, Dorrance and University of Colorado coach, Chris Lidstone, approached the AIAW, who were receptive to the idea. After the AIWA led the way, the NCAA
finally recognized women's soccer as an inter-collegiate sport and Dorrance's teams proceeded to dominate the sport. His teams won every championship from 1982–1984 and again from 1986-1994. After winning the 2009 NCAA championship, the Tar Heels have claimed a total of 21 national championships and 20 of the 28 NCAA championships.
Dorrance's success comes from several inter-related attributes. First, he has an eye for recruiting outstanding talent. Related to that is his emphasis on competitiveness. He noted early in his time as a women's coach that women seemed to have an inhibition against open competition. He decided to develop an atmosphere at UNC in which women were rewarded for having an aggressive desire to win. Finally, he noted from his work with both the men's and women's teams that women tended to play best in an atmosphere which focused on relationships.
Dorrance was able to bring out his players' aggressiveness and competitiveness while also fostering an almost family sense of the team. Regarding the aggressiveness, Santa Clara University
women's soccer coach Jerry Smith noted in a 1998 Sports Illustrated
article, "When you watch them, you can see the edge they have. I'll go beyond aggressiveness. It's meanness. Anson has found a way to bring that out of his players." Mia Hamm
added in the same article, "I grew up always good at sports, but being a girl, I was never allowed to feel as good about it as guys were. My toughness wasn't celebrated. But then I came here, and it was O.K. to want to be the best."
hiring Dorrance as the coach of the United States women's national soccer team
in 1986. He successfully juggled his duties to both the national team and UNC. In one extreme case, Dorrance left Assistant Coach Bill Palladino to lead UNC to a championship victory in the 1991 NCAA tournament while he led the US Women to a World Cup championship. In that tournament, the United States won the first Women's World Cup
, held in China. When Dorrance ended his tenure in 1994 with the national team, he had accumulated a record of 66-22-5 (.737) record. He has coached some of the finest players in women's soccer history including Michelle Akers
, Mia Hamm
and Kristine Lilly
.
In May 2005 Dorrance was elected as a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, after a rehearing by the full court, vacated summary judgment for defendants in Jennings' lawsuit. The April 9, 2007 decision allowed Jennings to proceed on her Title IX
claim and on sexual harassment civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Dorrance and a university official. Judge M. Blane Michael wrote in the 4th Circuit Court's majority opinion that Dorrance's conduct "went far beyond simple teasing and qualified as sexual harassment."
On October 1, 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by the state Attorney General's Office for the court to hear a nine-year-old sexual harassment suit against UNC-Chapel Hill and its women's soccer coach, Anson Dorrance.
The refusal by the Supreme Court to hear the case meant that the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling from 2007 would stand and the case could proceed to trial. On January 14, 2008 the suit was settled out of court and Melissa Jennings will receive $385,000. The university also will review its sexual harassment policies and procedures, and bring in an outside law professor to help. The coach issued a written apology to the player, her family, and team members saying that his comments were inappropriate. The coach also admitted that he did recruit her and got her into the school to play soccer.
North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer
The North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer...
at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. He has one of the most successful coaching records in the history of athletics. Under Dorrance's leadership, the Tar Heels have won 20 of the 28 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
s. The Tar Heels' record under Dorrance is 719-39-24 (.935 winning percentage) over 33 seasons as of September 9, 2011. He has led his team to a 101-game unbeaten streak and coached 13 different women to a total of 20 National Player of the Year awards. The NCAA has recognized Dorrance as the Women's Soccer Coach of the Year seven times (1982, 1986, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006) and as the Men's Soccer Coach of the Year in 1987. On March 10, 2008 Dorrance was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
.
Early life
Dorrance was born in Bombay, IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on April 9, 1951, the son of an American oil executive. He spent his youth moving with his family throughout Europe and Africa. Of all the places he lived, three had particular influences on his later life. In Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
he met his future wife, M'Liss Gary, the daughter of the U.S. Air Force attache
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
to Ethiopia. He attributes his love of soccer to his years living in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and finally, he gained his education from the boarding school, Villa St. Jean International School
Villa St. Jean International School
Villa St. Jean International School, originally named College Villa St. Jean, was a private school in Fribourg, Switzerland from 1903 to 1970.This article was translated into French in February 2009 by François Ronsin....
, in Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
from which he graduated in 1969.
After graduating from Villa St. Jean, he moved to the United States and attended St Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He transferred after the fall term to the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. His love of soccer led him to walk onto the school's soccer team, then coached by Marvin Allen, where he was a three time All-ACC player. In 1974 he graduated with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English and Philosophy. That year he also married his childhood sweetheart, M'Liss Gary.
Under the influence of his father, Dorrance entered North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
Law School in 1976, later transferring to the University of North Carolina School of Law
University of North Carolina School of Law
The University of North Carolina School of Law is a professional school within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the nation and is the oldest law school in North Carolina. It is consistently ranked in the top-tier...
. That same year, Coach Allen convinced Dorrance to succeed him as the UNC men's soccer coach. From 1977 until 1988 Dorrance compiled a 175-65-21 (.708) record with the team. His greatest success with the men's team came in 1987 when he led them to the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
championship and the NCAA Final Four. That same year he also won the NCAA Men's Soccer Coach of the Year.
UNC women's soccer team
In 1979 UNC expanded Dorrance's duties to include the newly established women's team as well as the men's soccer team. It was this event which moved Dorrance into the limelight. Within two years, Dorrance had guided his Lady Tar Heels to the 1981 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for WomenAssociation for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women . The association was one of the biggest...
(AIAW) title. When Dorrance began coaching the Lady Tar Heels, the NCAA did not have a women's soccer championship. When the NCAA showed no interest in establishing one, Dorrance and University of Colorado coach, Chris Lidstone, approached the AIAW, who were receptive to the idea. After the AIWA led the way, the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
finally recognized women's soccer as an inter-collegiate sport and Dorrance's teams proceeded to dominate the sport. His teams won every championship from 1982–1984 and again from 1986-1994. After winning the 2009 NCAA championship, the Tar Heels have claimed a total of 21 national championships and 20 of the 28 NCAA championships.
Dorrance's success comes from several inter-related attributes. First, he has an eye for recruiting outstanding talent. Related to that is his emphasis on competitiveness. He noted early in his time as a women's coach that women seemed to have an inhibition against open competition. He decided to develop an atmosphere at UNC in which women were rewarded for having an aggressive desire to win. Finally, he noted from his work with both the men's and women's teams that women tended to play best in an atmosphere which focused on relationships.
Dorrance was able to bring out his players' aggressiveness and competitiveness while also fostering an almost family sense of the team. Regarding the aggressiveness, Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
women's soccer coach Jerry Smith noted in a 1998 Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article, "When you watch them, you can see the edge they have. I'll go beyond aggressiveness. It's meanness. Anson has found a way to bring that out of his players." Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female,...
added in the same article, "I grew up always good at sports, but being a girl, I was never allowed to feel as good about it as guys were. My toughness wasn't celebrated. But then I came here, and it was O.K. to want to be the best."
Head coaching record
National team coach
His success at North Carolina led to the United States Soccer FederationUnited States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional soccer, including the men's, women's, youth, futsal...
hiring Dorrance as the coach of the United States women's national soccer team
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
in 1986. He successfully juggled his duties to both the national team and UNC. In one extreme case, Dorrance left Assistant Coach Bill Palladino to lead UNC to a championship victory in the 1991 NCAA tournament while he led the US Women to a World Cup championship. In that tournament, the United States won the first Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup 1991
The 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup was the first ever edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup. It was held in Guangdong, China and won by the United States. It was originally called the Women's World Championship.-Venues:-Teams:...
, held in China. When Dorrance ended his tenure in 1994 with the national team, he had accumulated a record of 66-22-5 (.737) record. He has coached some of the finest players in women's soccer history including Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers is a former leading American association football player, who starred in the historic 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup victory by the U.S.. She won the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the 1991 tournament...
, Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female,...
and Kristine Lilly
Kristine Lilly
Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey is a retired American soccer player who last played for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team for 24 years...
.
In May 2005 Dorrance was elected as a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
Court cases
In 1998 a former player, Melissa Jennings, sued Dorrance for sexual harassment. He had just cut her from the team. Initially, it appeared the suit was retaliation against Dorrance. However, Debbie Keller Hill, a former team captain, joined the suit. In October 2004 U.S. District Court Judge N. Carlton Tilley, Jr. threw out the six-year lawsuit, stating the "behavior at issue does not constitute severe, pervasive and objectively offensive sexual harassment." In April 2006 a three judge federal appeals panel voted against reversing the judgement (2-1). Jennings appealed to the full court with oral arguments taking place in October 2006. Hill had earlier settled with the university for $70,000.The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, after a rehearing by the full court, vacated summary judgment for defendants in Jennings' lawsuit. The April 9, 2007 decision allowed Jennings to proceed on her Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
claim and on sexual harassment civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Dorrance and a university official. Judge M. Blane Michael wrote in the 4th Circuit Court's majority opinion that Dorrance's conduct "went far beyond simple teasing and qualified as sexual harassment."
On October 1, 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by the state Attorney General's Office for the court to hear a nine-year-old sexual harassment suit against UNC-Chapel Hill and its women's soccer coach, Anson Dorrance.
The refusal by the Supreme Court to hear the case meant that the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling from 2007 would stand and the case could proceed to trial. On January 14, 2008 the suit was settled out of court and Melissa Jennings will receive $385,000. The university also will review its sexual harassment policies and procedures, and bring in an outside law professor to help. The coach issued a written apology to the player, her family, and team members saying that his comments were inappropriate. The coach also admitted that he did recruit her and got her into the school to play soccer.