- Jim Rudy
Still in the Game
After 21 years coaching women’s soccer at UMass, Jim Rudy has retired to Florida, where he’s looking for a car, a house, and a fishing boat, in that order. Rudy saw immense changes in women’s collegiate soccer during his 28-year coaching career, including explosive growth from about 70 teams in the entire country to 300-plus now playing Division I soccer alone. Rudy left UMass with 239 wins, having trained many top players, including Olympic gold medal-winning goalkeeper Briana Scurry.
Scurry, now goalkeeper for the Washington Freedom, says that Rudy remains her favorite coach. “He taught me the most of any coach I ever had in many years of soccer, because he kept it simple.”
Rudy grew up in Washington, D.C., where he played soccer with athletes from all around the world. He brought an international style to college coaching, favoring a tactical approach rather than relying on the frequent substitutions he believes can be a detriment to American-style soccer. “Constantly subbing to put fresh bodies on the field takes away from the beauty of the game,” he says.
He also believes in empowering his players—on the field and off. “I never had a whole lot of rules. I wanted to encourage my players to make their own decisions.”
In retirement, Rudy won’t just be fishing among the mangroves. He’ll do some coaching as well as continue to play the game he loves. At 59, he’s an all-star for an “over-the-hill” soccer league.
