Most successful coach in over 100 years of Stanford soccer joins CrashCourse by TeachAids advisory committee
Paul Ratcliffe is not just successful; he is the most successful coach in more than 100 years of Stanford men’s and women’s soccer history.
The Knowles Family Director of Women’s Soccer, Ratcliffe has led the Stanford women’s soccer program for 16 seasons to incredible accomplishments. During Ratcliffe’s tenure, he has coached the team to two national championships, reached four NCAA finals, won eight Pac-12 titles, and participated in seven College Cups, and he has never failed to lead the team to an NCAA tournament.
Coach Ratcliffe, throughout his career at Stanford, has managed to set unprecedented records as well. In the 2017 season, Ratcliffe led the team to its second national championship, accumulating a staggering 91 goals while only allowing 9, setting a program record. From 2008 to 2013, Stanford women’s soccer had a 73-match unbeaten streak for their home games, the second longest streak in NCAA history. The accomplishments continue in the postseason; from 2008 to 2016, his teams had a streak of 30 consecutive NCAA matches without a single loss at home. And with an ultimate record of 292-50-29, he is the winningest coach in Stanford soccer history.
Ratcliffe is not just known for the success of his program overall; he is also renowned for coaching extraordinary players. Four of his former players (Andi Sullivan, Kelley O’Hara, Christen Press, and Teresa Noyola) were awarded the MAC Hermann Trophy as the best player in college soccer. Two of Ratcliffe’s former players (Kelley O’Hara and Christen Press) were part of the US National Team that won the 2015 World Cup. And throughout his time at Stanford, Ratcliffe has coached six Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year winners, 14 first-team NSCAA All-Americans, and 51 all-conference players. With four of his former players appearing in the 2012 London Olympics and the six in the 2011, Stanford had more players represented in those competitions than any other school. As a coach, Ratcliffe himself has been named Pac-12 Coach of the Year a record nine times, and is a three-time NSCAA National Coach of the Year. Before arriving at Stanford, Ratcliffe spent five seasons as head coach at Saint Mary’s where he received the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year award three times.
TeachAids is honored to welcome Coach Paul Ratcliffe as part of the CrashCourse Advisory team. With his insights and guidance, we can work towards developing the most engaging and informative content for young people across the world.