Introduction
Al Albert is an American college soccer coach.Albert is best known for his longstanding tenure as the head coach of the William & Mary Tribe men's soccer program in Williamsburg, Virginia and as a former President of United Soccer Coaches, the largest soccer coaches organization in the world.
Early life
Albert attended Baltimore City College High School (Class of '65).He left Baltimore to study at The College of William & Mary (Class of '69) where he played varsity lacrosse and soccer and majored in sociology.
Coaching at William and Mary
Albert accepted an offer to be the full-time coach of the men's lacrosse and men's soccer programs at The College of William and Mary in 1971. As soccer became increasing popular both on campus and across the country – by 1977 - Albert was exclusively coaching soccer at W&M.
Albert led the William and Mary "Tribe" men’s soccer team as head coach for 33 seasons before retiring from coaching in January 2004. He amassed a record of 401–187–64 (.664) during his tenure and became just the eighth coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 400 wins, and just the third to have earned all those wins at one school. The Tribe ranked as one of the top programs in the nation throughout the 1990s, placing eighth in wins (149) and 13th in winning percentage (.708).
The Tribe strung together 29 consecutive winning seasons and 26 straight campaigns of 10 wins or more under Albert's supervision.This level of winning consistency has only been matched by a handful of elite soccer programs across the country: UCLA, Clemson, St. Louis, Indiana, SMU, and UVA.
Many of Albert's former players at William and Mary went on to have successful professional soccer careers; while many distinguished themselves in other ways outside the game.A great communicator, one of Al's trademarks at W&M was the way he connected personally with his players on and off the field – even after graduation.
In tribute to Albert's lasting impact on the landscape of sport at William and Mary, the university hosts all of its home soccer and lacrosse games at Albert-Daly Field, named after Albert and long-time women's soccer head coach John Daly.
Other Endeavors
Former Players
William & Mary
- Jon Stewart '84 – Host of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central
- Mark Goldberg – Former owner/chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club (played '82 and '83 only)
- Steve Christie – NFL veteran kicker (played spring only)
- Curtis Pride – Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter (played spring only)
- Greg Lalas – Soccer journalist (played '90 only)
- Scott Budnick '93 – American professional soccer player
- Paul Grafer '96 – American professional soccer player and US Soccer Youth National Team Assistant Coach
- Steve Jolley '97 – American professional soccer player
- Wade Barrett '98 – American professional soccer player and former MLS coach
- Adin Brown '00 – American professional soccer player
- Ralph Bean '02 – Bermudian soccer player and coach
- Carlos Garcia '03 – Colombian professional soccer player
Other
- Jeff Agoos, 1985 World Maccabiah selection – American professional soccer player
- Matt Behncke, Williamsburg Wizards – American professional soccer player
- Daniel Cruz, Tidewater Soccer Camp – Colombian professional soccer player
- Jarryd Goldberg, 2007 Pan-Am Maccabiah selection – American professional soccer player
- Noah Palmer, Williamsburg Legacy – American professional soccer player
- Gonzalo Segares, Williamsburg Legacy – Costa Rican professional soccer player
Personal
Albert resides in Williamsburg, Virginia with his wife.They have two children.
Albert is currently the Associate Director of Athletic Development at The College of William and Mary.