Legendary UConn Soccer Coach to Retire

STORRS, CT. – Legendary UConn women’s soccer head coach Len Tsantiris has announced his retirement after 37 years as a Husky, UConn officials said on Wednesday.

Tsantiris took UConn from its infant stages as a program and turned it into a national power.

"It has truly been an honor to work at UConn,” Tsantiris said. “I want to thank all the administrators and athletic directors who were supportive of my players and helped create and build the tradition of our program. Thank you to my family for their understanding and patience while I’ve been away from home trying to make our program better. Thank you to all my assistant coaches, players and support staff for all that they did for the program. I appreciate all of their efforts."

Tsantiris has 570 wins, which ranks second all-time in women’s soccer history, and just the second coach to eclipse the 500-win plateau.

During his tenure, the Huskies advanced to 31 NCAA Tournaments including 26 straight from 1982 to 2007.

Under Tsantiris’ direction, UConn had elite success in the NCAAs with four NCAA Championship game appearances, seven trips to the NCAA semifinals and 18 trips to the NCAA Quarterfinals.

UConn established itself as one of the premier programs in women’s soccer with eight-straight Elite Eight appearances spanning from 1993-2000.

Tsantiris, who was inducted into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003, collected numerous awards during his coaching tenure. After winning a program-record 23 matches and earning an appearance in the NCAA championship game, he was tabbed the 1997 NSCAA Division I National Coach of the Year.

His next honor will be a Gold Key Award from the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance. The Class of 2018, will be honored at the 77th annual Gold Key Dinner at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on Sunday, April 29, 2018.

Photo Credit: UConn