Anson Dorrance: Establishing a Character-Building Team Culture with Core Values & Grit

with Anson Dorrance,
University of North Carolina Head Women's Soccer Coach;
22 National Collegiate Championships, 20 ACC Tournament Championships;
7x National Soccer Coach of the Year;
most wins in college soccer history, distinguished member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame (2008);
U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach (1986-94);
head coach of the 1991 World Cup Team that won the gold medal

UNC women's head coach, Anson Dorrance, shares the major ideas revolving around culture that have shaped his long and storied coaching career. He offers frank thoughts on topics such as leadership, galvanizing qualities of role models, principle-centered living, and how he helps his players transition into adulthood.

To begin, Coach Dorrance walks you through the presentation he uses at his first player meeting of the season. Topics of the presentation include the philosophy of `living on a never ending ascension' (which Dorrance calls The North Carolina Way), the importance of character, living a principle-centered life, the role core values have in the North Carolina program, and peer evaluations of character.

You'll hear Coach Dorrance talk about the importance of coaching character while relating a story about comments made by Hall of Fame football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg after Stagg's team won a national championship in 1913. The takeaways from the quote from Stagg are:

• The events of the day don't last.
• The type of men his players became after football was most important.
• Character development was the most important mission of the coach.

Dorrance spends time explaining the role `grit' - athletic character - plays in his program. He believes talent and athletic character collide at the collegiate level. While all college players have talent, it is athletic character that sets players apart.

Coach Dorrance's presentation concludes with a candid question and answer session. He takes questions from fellow coaches regarding situations that all coaches face, and responds with his experiences in facing those situations.

With more national championships than any other soccer coach under his belt, it's clear Coach Dorrance knows a thing or two about building a strong program with superior character. If you want to improve the quality of your players and staff on and off the field, you'll find great value in this video.

64 minutes. 2021.