University of North Carolina Athletics
Chris Ducar, Anson Dorrance and Bill Palladino
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Enduring Legacy Defined
August 20, 2019 | Women's Soccer, Featured Writers
GoHeels Exclusive: Enduring Legacy Defined
By Dave Lohse
Associate Athletic Communications Director
On Thursday, the historic and legendary women's soccer program at the University of North Carolina will open its long-awaited new stadium in Chapel Hill. It will be a genuine cause for celebration and as someone who has worked on and off with this program since its founding in 1979, it will be emotional for me personally.
What a tribute this edifice will be to the legacy of that program and the man that built it from scratch, Anson Dorrance. For all the celebratory elements of the day as Carolina prepares to face the Indiana Hoosiers at 6:30 p.m., it won't be entirely the same without Bill Palladino on the sidelines. Dino, as he is universally known, stepped down earlier this month after four decades as Dorrance's right hand man. He will be missed.
Dino is still going to have his hand in the coaching business as an assistant with North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League. That's a great gig because the Courage has developed into a powerhouse of its own in its brief existence in the Tar Heel State. It has a devoted fandom and is the defending NWSL champion.
But his college coaching days are now behind him. It really is hard to put into words what he has meant for this program and university. Dino is the ultimate relationship guy and his low key nature fit perfectly with Anson's fiery and extroverted persona. They built something for the ages. It is hard to truly understand what 22 national championships, 22 ACC regular season championships and 21 ACC Tournament championships mean for one program, much less one university. The numbers are staggering. We've all been so lucky.
In talking to many of Carolina's former players, I know that Dino will be missed. Mia Hamm was especially poignant in the words she shared with me on August 7. But change, even in a program as storied as Carolina's, is inevitable.
"I am so sorry my long-time assistant and good friend Bill Palladino has decided to step down," said Dorrance on August 7. "We built this wonderful program together and had so much fun doing it. We were teammates together at UNC in the early 1970's spending our first year as red-shirts, retrieving errant shots for the varsity before they hit Kessing outdoor pool.
"The extraordinary seasons we had together and the amazing athletes we were honored to train are a part of the elite history of the American collegiate game and the storied legacy of the U.S. Women's National Team. I hope he comes to every home game and sits behind our bench and tells me everything he is thinking like he always has for the past 40 years, so we can have every Tar Heel weapon available as we christen this beautiful new stadium later this month."
Dino has been on the sidelines for virtually every Tar Heel game since he joined the staff in 1980. From 1977-79, he had served as Dorrance's chief assistant with the Tar Heel men's team when Dorrance coached that squad. He moved over to the women's side beginning in 1980. Dorrance actually coached both teams simultaneously from 1979-88 before handing the reins of that program over to Elmar Bolowich.
Dino did miss six games in 2003 when he was serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Team during the World Cup which had been moved to America on short notice after the SARS breakout in China. That U.S. Team won the bronze medal and was coached by UNC alumna April Heinrichs, UNC Class of 1987, who played on three NCAA title-winning teams for Carolina.
Dino missed those games at mid-season. He was back in time for one of college soccer's most dynastic NCAA Tournament runs as Carolina finished 27-0 and outscored its opponents 32-0 in six NCAA games. Twelve years prior to that, it was Dino who stayed in Chapel Hill to coach the Tar Heels to a different national championship, beating Wisconsin 3-1 in the final. At that time Dorrance was in China coaching the U.S. Women's National Team to the first of its four World Cup championships.
With Palladino's departure, I was reminded as to how stable the coaching genius tree has been in Chapel Hill for Dorrance's storied program. Anson has been here since 1979, Dino since 1980, Chris Ducar since 1996 and Damon Nahas is the baby of the staff, here just since 2015 after a long club coaching career. Shortly, a new volunteer coach will join the staff and it will be a headlines inducing hire for sure.
That continuity of coaching prowess has enabled this special program to be so exemplary. We have all been the recipients of its largesse and as we watch the Tar Heels take the field Thursday in this state-of-the-art stadium, the goose bumps will be real. We've waited a long time for this christening. But we will miss you Dino. Count on that.
By Dave Lohse
Associate Athletic Communications Director
On Thursday, the historic and legendary women's soccer program at the University of North Carolina will open its long-awaited new stadium in Chapel Hill. It will be a genuine cause for celebration and as someone who has worked on and off with this program since its founding in 1979, it will be emotional for me personally.
What a tribute this edifice will be to the legacy of that program and the man that built it from scratch, Anson Dorrance. For all the celebratory elements of the day as Carolina prepares to face the Indiana Hoosiers at 6:30 p.m., it won't be entirely the same without Bill Palladino on the sidelines. Dino, as he is universally known, stepped down earlier this month after four decades as Dorrance's right hand man. He will be missed.
Dino is still going to have his hand in the coaching business as an assistant with North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League. That's a great gig because the Courage has developed into a powerhouse of its own in its brief existence in the Tar Heel State. It has a devoted fandom and is the defending NWSL champion.
But his college coaching days are now behind him. It really is hard to put into words what he has meant for this program and university. Dino is the ultimate relationship guy and his low key nature fit perfectly with Anson's fiery and extroverted persona. They built something for the ages. It is hard to truly understand what 22 national championships, 22 ACC regular season championships and 21 ACC Tournament championships mean for one program, much less one university. The numbers are staggering. We've all been so lucky.
In talking to many of Carolina's former players, I know that Dino will be missed. Mia Hamm was especially poignant in the words she shared with me on August 7. But change, even in a program as storied as Carolina's, is inevitable.
"I am so sorry my long-time assistant and good friend Bill Palladino has decided to step down," said Dorrance on August 7. "We built this wonderful program together and had so much fun doing it. We were teammates together at UNC in the early 1970's spending our first year as red-shirts, retrieving errant shots for the varsity before they hit Kessing outdoor pool.
"The extraordinary seasons we had together and the amazing athletes we were honored to train are a part of the elite history of the American collegiate game and the storied legacy of the U.S. Women's National Team. I hope he comes to every home game and sits behind our bench and tells me everything he is thinking like he always has for the past 40 years, so we can have every Tar Heel weapon available as we christen this beautiful new stadium later this month."
Dino has been on the sidelines for virtually every Tar Heel game since he joined the staff in 1980. From 1977-79, he had served as Dorrance's chief assistant with the Tar Heel men's team when Dorrance coached that squad. He moved over to the women's side beginning in 1980. Dorrance actually coached both teams simultaneously from 1979-88 before handing the reins of that program over to Elmar Bolowich.
Dino did miss six games in 2003 when he was serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Team during the World Cup which had been moved to America on short notice after the SARS breakout in China. That U.S. Team won the bronze medal and was coached by UNC alumna April Heinrichs, UNC Class of 1987, who played on three NCAA title-winning teams for Carolina.
Dino missed those games at mid-season. He was back in time for one of college soccer's most dynastic NCAA Tournament runs as Carolina finished 27-0 and outscored its opponents 32-0 in six NCAA games. Twelve years prior to that, it was Dino who stayed in Chapel Hill to coach the Tar Heels to a different national championship, beating Wisconsin 3-1 in the final. At that time Dorrance was in China coaching the U.S. Women's National Team to the first of its four World Cup championships.
With Palladino's departure, I was reminded as to how stable the coaching genius tree has been in Chapel Hill for Dorrance's storied program. Anson has been here since 1979, Dino since 1980, Chris Ducar since 1996 and Damon Nahas is the baby of the staff, here just since 2015 after a long club coaching career. Shortly, a new volunteer coach will join the staff and it will be a headlines inducing hire for sure.
That continuity of coaching prowess has enabled this special program to be so exemplary. We have all been the recipients of its largesse and as we watch the Tar Heels take the field Thursday in this state-of-the-art stadium, the goose bumps will be real. We've waited a long time for this christening. But we will miss you Dino. Count on that.
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