OT : Nancy Stevens to retire

[UConnSportsGuy]

I know this would normally go in the Olympic Sport forum, but this is a huge loss for UConn sports. The Field Hockey team has been incredible and Nancy has been the best coach in the sport for a long time. She is retiring as of Sept 1--so basically in a week. The assistant coach is taking over.


Although it says she is going to be a 'volunteer assistant coach' on the team. Could you imagine Calhoun as an assistant coach on Ollies staff?

 

[Waquoit]

Is there a US Field Hockey HoF?

 

[UCTitleTown]

How old is she? I'm sure Covid-19 and not playing played a major factor in her decision. Agree. It's a huge loss.

 

[huskymedic]

How old is she? I'm sure Covid-19 and not playing played a major factor in her decision. Agree. It's a huge loss.

 

[dbmill]

Is there a US Field Hockey HoF?

Nancy Stevens has been in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Hall of Fame since 2007.

 

[Waquoit]

Nancy Stevens has been in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Hall of Fame since 2007.

And rightly so

 

[UCTitleTown]

So the new head coach is a man? How does a man develop the qualifications to be a D1 coach at a top program in a sports men don't play in this country? I'm a big supporter of women in coaching, especially women coaching women so this one is a head scratcher for me. My daughter has played a sport for 15 years, and after having eight male coaches, it wasn't until she got to college that she finally had a woman coach.

 

[husky429]

So the new head coach is a man? How does a man develop the qualifications to be a D1 coach at a top program in a sports men don't play in this country? I'm a big supporter of women in coaching, especially women coaching women so this one is a head scratcher for me. My daughter has played a sport for 15 years, and after having eight male coaches, it wasn't until she got to college that she finally had a woman coach.

He isn't from America. He's English. The guys resume is probably 5 pages long with American and international coaching from the past 20 years. Consider a basic Google search before trying to degrade someone's skill and hard work as a coach based on their gender--male or female. I would be shocked if he is not one of, if not THE, most qualified assistant coaches in the country based on what I'm seeing.

Don't get me wrong it is tough for women to get into coaching. Very tough. Coaching basketball is an absolute boys club, even on the women's side. There's a lot of reasons for that, but I think it's fair in general to say that changing the system and the culture of sports to allow more female coaches would make basketball a better game. ESPECIALLY at the youth level. Basketball is all I coach, no idea about other sports.

This past year we got a female athletic trainer at my schools and the girls bball team really connected with her. It was great to see.

Paul Caddy - Field Hockey Coach - University of Connecticut Athletics

Paul Caddy completed his fourth season as head coach of the Huskies in 2023. After spending 19 seasons at UConn as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation,

uconnhuskies.com

 

[Waquoit]

this one is a head scratcher for me.

Really? The guy has paid his dues.

 

[UCSouth]

So the new head coach is a man? How does a man develop the qualifications to be a D1 coach at a top program in a sports men don't play in this country? I'm a big supporter of women in coaching, especially women coaching women so this one is a head scratcher for me. My daughter has played a sport for 15 years, and after having eight male coaches, it wasn't until she got to college that she finally had a woman coach.

Ask Geno

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Promoting Paul is almost the same as promoting Chris Dailey. He's been Stevens' #2 for nearly two decades. I knew them both a bit in the early 2000s - she's considered him the heir apparent since then.

 

[dbmill]

If you ask me, hiring Paul Caddy as the new field hockey coach makes perfect sense if you think about it a little bit. He's been deeply involved in field hockey since his college days in England, and he has been a very well regarded assistant to Nancy Stevens for two decades. While field hockey may not be considered a male sport in the United States, both sexes play it overseas in Europe and in Asia. We only get reminded of that every four years when the summer Olympics come around.

UConn field hockey does get a goodly amount of European players on the roster, and one would guess that Caddy is at the center of that recruiting effort. Another consideration is the talented players on the UConn field hockey roster. If a new coach were hired from outside the UConn field hockey family network, it is possible that at least some of these players might think about leaving the program. But now, not only is Paul Caddy, who has been deeply involved in UConn field hockey for many years, the new head coach, but Nancy Stevens is still with the program as a volunteer assistant coach. That to me is a dead giveaway, as the coaches may have been shuffled around with new duties, but they are still around the program. I would think with the main faces still around, there will be less temptation for players to leave the program. And not only that, but Caddy is still young enough to have a good run as head coach of the field hockey program.

 

[the Q]

He isn't from America. He's English. The guys resume is probably 5 pages long with American and international coaching from the past 20 years. Consider a basic Google search before trying to degrade someone's skill and hard work as a coach based on their gender--male or female. I would be shocked if he is not one of, if not THE, most qualified assistant coaches in the country based on what I'm seeing.

Don't get me wrong it is tough for women to get into coaching. Very tough. Coaching basketball is an absolute boys club, even on the women's side. There's a lot of reasons for that, but I think it's fair in general to say that changing the system and the culture of sports to allow more female coaches would make basketball a better game. ESPECIALLY at the youth level. Basketball is all I coach, no idea about other sports.

This past year we got a female athletic trainer at my schools and the girls bball team really connected with her. It was great to see.

Paul Caddy - Field Hockey Coach - University of Connecticut Athletics

Paul Caddy completed his fourth season as head coach of the Huskies in 2023. After spending 19 seasons at UConn as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation,

uconnhuskies.com

There was an article on ESPN a few years back about the women’s final four that said something like the application rate for women’s bb jobs are 70/30 m/f. Which means it’s far more likely that the most qualified candidate will be a male. Just based on simple stats.

I don’t care who coaches at the youth level as long as they know the damn rules.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Ask Geno

Remember the time when nearly all D1 women's coaches were men? A lot of progress has been made in gender equality. Geno is a dinosaur (a great one, but maybe the last of his kind).

 

[dbmill]

UConn field hockey coach Nancy Stevens retires, won 700 games and three NCAA titles with the program

As an avid horseback rider, Nancy Stevens used an equestrian analogy Friday to describe her retirement as head coach of the UConn field hockey team. “I’m an equestrian, so I guess I cou…

www.courant.com

A couple of passages from the Courant story:

>Paul Caddy, an associate head coach who has worked with Stevens for 20 years and done much of the international recruiting for the team, will take over as the head coach.<

A quote from Nancy Stevens:

>And knowing Paul was going to be the coach: That made my decision much easier. Paul’s one of the top five coaches in the country and that includes all head coaches.”<

 

[the Q]

Remember the time when nearly all D1 women's coaches were men? A lot of progress has been made in gender equality. Geno is a dinosaur (a great one, but maybe the last of his kind).

or maybe some have just shown more interest and were the best candidate. Don’t need gender equality. Need more great coaches like geno and pat summit.

 

[CL82]

And rightly so

We have had what 4 of hall of fame coaches at UConn? (Calhoun, Aureimma, Marrone and Stevens) We been fortunate. Stevens' dynasty is very much like Geno's. I don't know that you can replace someone like that.

FWIW UConn has a great field hockey legacy even before Stevens. The first NCAA woman's championship was for Field Hockey and was played behind the old field house, in 1982, I think.

 

[dbmill]

We have had what 4 of hall of fame coaches at UConn? (Calhoun, Aureimma, Marrone and Stevens) We been fortunate. Stevens' dynasty is very much like Geno's. I don't know that you can replace someone like that.

FWIW UConn has a great field hockey legacy even before Stevens. The first NCAA woman's championship was for Field Hockey and was played behind the old field house, in 1982, I think.

The 1981 Field Hockey championship was played at the old football stadium on campus. It remains the only field hockey game that I have seen in person. I was walking by, saw the game being played, and took it in from the hill that was across the street.

 

[CL82]

The 1981 Field Hockey championship was played at the old football stadium on campus. It remains the only field hockey game that I have seen in person. I was walking by, saw the game being played, and took it in from the hill that was across the street.

I’ve told the story a few times, but my roommate and I were coming out of the Fieldhouse after lifting and we saw the game and the crowd and walked over to take a look. We watched the last couple minutes and then at the end saw everyone running out in the field jumping up and down. We looked at each other for a second, shrugged, and ran out onto the field yelling, jumping up and down, hugging and lifting up players over our heads. After a minute or two we stopped and walked back up to our dorm having no idea that we had just witnessed the end of the first woman’s NCAA national championship.

By the way, if you’re Ed, PM me.

 

[dbmill]

I’ve told the story a few times, but my roommate and I were coming out of the Fieldhouse after lifting and we saw the game and the crowd and walked over to take a look. We watched the last couple minutes and then at the end saw everyone running out in the field jumping up and down. We looked at each other for a second, shrugged, and ran out onto the field yelling, jumping up and down, hugging and lifting up players over our heads. After a minute or two we stopped and walked back up to our dorm having no idea that we had just witnessed the end of the first woman’s NCAA national championship.

By the way, if you’re Ed, PM me.

I am not Ed.