John Daly (Meritorious Service) - Inducted 2020

John Daly is an English American retired Collegiate Soccer Coach born in London, England to Irish Parents. He began his coaching career in London.  With Certification from the FA, he coached and played for St. Thomas Youth Cub in Fulham.  He later moved to the United States where he worked at soccer camps across the country run by the US Military Academy.  John came to William & Mary in 1979 and initially worked as an assistant coach for the Women’s team, which was a club team until 1981. He was also an assistant coach for the men’s team under Al Albert.  In 1986, John became a full-time assistant coach for the women’s team under John Charles, before succeeding Charles in 1987. W&M has had a winning season every year of his tenure, making William & Mary and the only program to have a winning season in all 36 years of NCAA Women’s Soccer, along with North Carolina the most successful school in the sport. As Head Women’s Soccer Coach, John Daly made the William & Mary Program into the most successful in the Colonial Athletic Association with a total record ending 2017 of 413 wins, 176 losses and 57 draws (.683) overall and a mark of 156 wins, 45 ties and 18 draws (.753) in the Colonial Athletic Association.  John Daly is the winning-est coach in W&M history, and the ninth coach in the history of Division I Women’s Soccer to achieve 400 wins; only Anson Dorrance (UNC), Len Tsantiris (Connecticut), and Jerry Smith (Santa Clara) have done the same at one school. Fifteen of his players won a total of 32 All American honors, while two, Megan McCarthy and Natalie Neaton won NCAA Player of the Year Honors.  Many players including Jill Ellis, Coach of the US Women’s National Team, went onto successful coaching careers in their own right.  Throughout his tenure as the W&M Women’s Soccer Coach, he has received countless Collegiate Personal Awards and Honors.  Among his peers, John Daly by all, means, ranks as one of the Top 20 Coaches in NCAA History.