Coaching Connections: Coaches Who’ve Inspired Players to Follow in Their Footsteps

Not only does a great coach make or break a team, but individual relationships from player to coach at any level are just as important.

For many women throughout all sports, having a mentor who is an example of who you want to be both on and off the field is game-changing. Many coaches make just as significant of a difference in their players’ lives as the players do in their own lives. For some players, serving the game after their playing career ends isn’t front of mind. However, for some, the inspiration from their coaches can make all the difference.

Nancy Feldman and Casey Brown

Nancy Feldman retired from her coaching position at Boston University in 2021 after 27 years on the job. During her time at Boston University, the team won about 64% of their games, which is an impressive run. Feldman remains in touch with hundreds of her former players through coaching, watching them continue to play, giving career advice, and even attending their weddings. She harbored relationships with the team each year, and one of her strongest connections with a player was Casey Brown.

We’re not letting you retire without one more honor, Coach Feldman!

The winner of this year’s Bruce Lehane Coaching Award is Nancy Feldman, the first and only head coach in @TerrierWSOC’s 27-year history! #ProudToBU #BUSWH pic.twitter.com/dBSgpxQkh9

— BU Athletics (@BUAthletics) April 25, 2022

“I so appreciated her passion for the game and being committed to being the best she could be,” said Feldman. “Very early on, we could all tell Casey was born to coach. It made the program that I coached for 27 years, since its inception, a lot easier knowing it was in very able hands with Casey.”

I feel so incredibly grateful to be a terrier once again! The opportunity to lead this program, my alma mater, and be home is truly special. Thanks for all the support. Time to get to work! @TerrierWSOC 💪🏻❤️🐾⚽️ https://t.co/PTCUSchgs7

— Casey Brown (@casbro7) June 11, 2022

Brown said she became a coach because of her passion for the game “but ultimately because of (her) strong desire to positively impact others.” Although she had coached at other universities, Brown only returned to Boston University to take the head coach position in 2022.

Her relationship with her former coach, Nancy Feldman, also had a strong impact on her as a player and a coach. As a player, she was taught to value a growth-minded environment. In her career, Feldman was able to help shape Brown’s future by showing her that college coaching was possible.

“Nancy has always been a mentor, role model, and friend as she truly modeled excellence at the highest level of the game,” said Brown.

Aliceann Wilber

Every coach and player has their own unique story that shaped them as both a player and a coach. Most people are fortunate to have a mentor that they look up to and strive to emulate. For Aliceann Wilber, the head coach at William Smith College, her mentorship was not her own coach but someone who helped her learn how to coach.

Wilber had actually never been coached before, so jumping into a collegiate women’s soccer head coach position was not something that she had not always expected for herself. Early in life, she had set out to be a Physical Education teacher for children in lower grades. Once she set out into the workforce, she realized how much of the job required her to take leadership in a coaching position to teach girls how to play all different types of sports.

When she ended up coaching for William Smith College, she had to be able to learn from other women’s soccer coaches like Graham Ramsy.

“Graham Ramsay, one of the most brilliant educators and coaches of soccer at any level I have encountered in my career,” said Wilber.

She accredited him to being one of the first coaches in the US to value having international coaches from places like Brazil, the Netherlands, and Ireland. Wilber was able to attend week-long coaching sessions where she was able to learn from international coaches and bring her skills back to William Smith.

Although her mentorship was not from her own coach, Ramsy had a lasting impression on her that helped her start the women’s soccer program from the bottom up. Wilber has now been able to grow the program, and she finds that female empowerment is a key factor in her coaching.

Congratulations to William Smith Head Soccer Coach Aliceann Wilber on securing her 600th career victory as the Heron soccer team defeated Ithaca College 2-0! Wilber is now just the second coach in all of NCAA Women’s Soccer with 600 wins, joining North Carolina’s Anson Dorrance. pic.twitter.com/6iI4XZsw3w

— HWS Colleges (@HWSColleges) September 29, 2021

“Though many girls are yet coached mainly by men, I feel strongly about the ‘hidden tangibles’ of women understanding and anticipating female needs for learning and developing in ways that, try as they might, men are not always able to provide,” said Wilber.

To say she’s a legend is an understatement. Alumni flew in from all over the county, to honor/surprise the 1st female United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame inductee, Aliceann Wilber. She’s more than a coach! It’s an honor to say I played for her. #leadership #modesty pic.twitter.com/BAcXBVztpu

— Nikki Murphy (@NMurphySRE) April 28, 2019

The connection between a team and their coach is a relationship that lasts forever. It looks different for each coach and each player, but having a role model to look up to makes all the difference.

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