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My guest today is Anson Dorrance, UNC Women’s Soccer Head Coach. He has won 22 National Championships and is the first coach in NCAA history to win 20 championships coaching a single sport. That is correct - 22 national titles. And as impressive as that is, his approach to coaching, competitiveness, and character development of his girls is even more impressive.

In this episode, we discuss why he doesn’t think you can teach leadership, why he thinks it’s so important to take personal ownership of your own outcome and learn to handle adversity, and how recruiting has evolved over the years. He also talks about his relationship with coaches outside of women’s soccer, including Dean Smith, Pete Carroll, and Terry Liskevych.

Show Notes:

(1:25) - Why he doesn’t believe you can teach leadership

(10:40) - The impact the helicopter parent has on children now

(15:20) - How recruiting has been effected by this change

(22:55) - His core values for his program

(24:25) - His focus on competitiveness and the competitive cauldron

(31:25) - How he became good friends with Pete Carroll

(40:39) - The importance of personal development

(46:30) - The core values he has for the program and how he’s matured as a coach over his career

(56:50) - How he approaches character development and winning

(1:01:25) - End of episode questions

End of Episode Questions:

1.    What’s 1 book every coach should read?

• The Man Watching: Anson Dorrance and the University of North Carolina Women's Soccer Dynasty

• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

• This is Water by David Foster Wallace

2.    Who is one person you’d want to hear as a guest on this podcast? 

• Marcelo Bielsa - Manager of Leeds United

3.    What’s one area you’re looking to improve in over the next year? 

• Construct a strategy to fit his roster this coming year, which has no seniors left

4.     What advice do you have for young coaches who are listening to this?

• Be a continuous learner and pick a mentor that is in an environment similar to yours

5.     What’s the darkest moment you experienced professionally and how did you overcome it?

• He was sued by a former player and her parent and was really criticized by the media.