Feb. 14, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Randy Waldrum, whose 14 seasons as head women’s soccer coach at the University of Notre Dame have featured a pair of NCAA Championships and three other NCAA runner-up finishes, has signed a multi-year contract extension to continue as the Irish head coach.
Waldrum’s tenure as Notre Dame head coach (1999-2012) has featured NCAA Championship appearances in all 14 years, NCAA titles in 2004 and 2010, NCAA runner-up finishes in 1999, 2006 and 2008 — plus NCAA Women’s College Cup national semifinal appearances in 2000, 2007 and 2009. His Irish teams have claimed 12 BIG EAST Conference regular-season titles (including 10 in the last 11 years) and seven BIG EAST Championship crowns.
His 14 seasons in South Bend have produced a combined 279-50-16 (.831) record, that includes an impressive 75-35-5 mark (.674) against opponents ranked in the top 25 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Waldrum’s 31 combined seasons coaching both men’s and women’s soccer have included a 462-155-35 record (.735), 23 of those years coaching women’s soccer (386-100-28, .778).
Waldrum is a two-time national coach of the year selection — in 2010 by the NSCAA and in 2009 by Soccer America. He has earned BIG EAST coach of the year honors on five occasions.
“Randy’s track record from the very first season he came to Notre Dame has been reflective of a program that competes for national championships on an every-year basis,” said Notre Dame vice president and athletics director Jack Swarbrick.
“He has done all the things necessary to ensure that Notre Dame maintains its position as one of the very elite programs in women’s college soccer. We are excited that he will be here at Notre Dame working to continue that level of excellence in the seasons ahead.”
“I want to personally thank Jack Swarbrick and (University president) Father (John) Jenkins for their unwavering support of both me and our women’s soccer program here at Notre Dame,” said Waldrum. “I am very excited to continue as the head coach of the women’s soccer program, and I look forward to many more years of working with our players, our staff, and all those involved in making athletics at Notre Dame so special.”
Waldrum’s Notre Dame teams have been ranked number one nationally for at least a week in seven different seasons, and his Irish squads from 1995-2010 won an NCAA Division I-record 77 consecutive games against BIG EAST opponents.
Waldrum’s Irish players have combined for 28 All-America honors — led by 2000 national player of the year Anne Makinen, 2004 national player of the year Katie Thorlakson, two-time Hermann Trophy recipient Kerri Hanks (2006 and 2008) and 2010 Honda Sports Award selection Melissa Henderson.
Irish players in the Waldrum era have combined for 19 Academic All-America awards, including rare double honors (All-America and Academic All-America) for Monica Gonzalez in 2001, Brittany Bock in 2007 and 2008 and Lauren Fowlkes in 2009 and 2010. The 2003 Notre Dame squad became the first in Division I women’s soccer history to produce three Academic All-Americans, as Vanessa Pruzinsky was named Academic All-American of the Year, and Erika Bohn joined Pruzinsky as two of the 10 three-time Academic All-Americans in Notre Dame athletics history.
Waldrum — who served as an assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s U-18 and U-20 national teams in the late 1990s, setting the stage for his current role at the helm of the U-23 squad — came to Notre Dame after beginning the Baylor women’s soccer program from scratch in 1995, ultimately leading the Bears to their first Big 12 Conference championship in any sport in 1998. In three seasons at Baylor, Waldrum guided the Bears to a 46-14-3 record.
Waldrum previously spent six seasons (1989-94) as head coach of the men’s and women’s teams at the University of Tulsa, compiling a 66-33-6 record with the men and a 61-36-9 mark with the women (he remains the winningest all-time coach of both programs).
Waldrum started a first-year men’s program at Texas Wesleyan in 1988 and earlier had his first collegiate head coaching position at Austin College in 1982. He served as director of coaching for the Texas Longhorns Soccer Club from 1987-89.
Waldrum played soccer at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, graduating in 1981. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Skyhawks and the Indianapolis Daredevils of the American Soccer League.
Waldrum, a native of Irving, Texas, and his wife Dianna have one son, Ben, who competed in professional soccer and also served as an assistant coach on his father’s staff at Notre Dame from 2003-07.
— ND —