WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

UNC's Dorrance Named to Soccer Hall of Fame

Mar 10, 2008

North Carolina women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance has been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, along with U.S. National Team veteran Hugo Perez.

“Anson Dorrance has set an unbelievable standard for American soccer coaches," hall of fame president Steve Bauman said in a news release from the Oneonta, N.Y., facility.

"His success at UNC is staggering and his world championship with the U.S. Women’s National team has inspired coaches to higher levels of excellence."

Dorrance started as men's soccer coach in 1976. Beginning in 1979, he coached both the men’s and women’s teams at UNC, becoming the women’s coach exclusively after the 1988 season.

The UNC women’s team has won the national championship 19 times in 28 seasons, with a string of nine in a row between 1986 and 1994.

In January, UNC settled a long-running lawsuit against the university and several officials, including Dorrance, on sexual harassment claims by a former soccer player. UNC settled with another player on similar claims in 2004.