The veteran American gaffer worked part-time with the ten-time African champions before parting ways after the Paris Olympics last year
Former Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum has been named to the United Soccer Coaches’ 2026 Hall of Fame Class, Soccernet.ng reports.
It is a fitting tribute to a man whose coaching career has spanned continents and decades.
The American tactician, who led Nigeria’s women’s national team from 2020 to 2024, joins Craig Ewing, Al Miller, and Steve Sampson in a distinguished class that will be officially inducted at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia in January 2026.
Waldrum’s name resonates strongly in both American and Nigerian football circles.
While serving as head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, he took on the challenge of managing the Super Falcons, one of Africa’s most successful women’s national teams.
Under his guidance, Nigeria reached the Round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup before bowing out to eventual runners-up England. He also guided the team through the 2024 Summer Olympics, where Nigeria advanced from the group stages.
His first major test came at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where Nigeria finished fourth. Despite that disappointment, his tenure would prove transformative for the team’s structure and style.
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Waldrum’s Nigerian legacy and United States excellence
Waldrum’s legacy in Nigeria goes beyond results, it lies in the players he discovered and developed.
During his time with the Super Falcons, he introduced a new generation of talent including Michelle Alozie, Jennifer Echegini, Esther Okoronkwo, Ifeoma Onumonu, Toni Payne, Deborah Abiodun, Ashleigh Plumptre, and Tosin Demehin.
Remarkably, these players became the backbone of the Super Falcons squad that went on to win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations this July, several months after Waldrum’s departure.
In the United States, Waldrum’s influence stretches back more than four decades.
A native of Texas, he founded Baylor University’s women’s soccer program before making history at Notre Dame.
It was as Notre Dame that he won two NCAA Championships and earned five Big East Coach of the Year and four National Coach of the Year titles. His 14-year tenure with the Fighting Irish produced a dynasty of success, including eight NCAA Final Four appearances.
He later led Trinidad and Tobago’s women’s national team (2014–2016) and became the first head coach of the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League.
At the University of Pittsburgh, where he still serves as technical director, Waldrum has rebuilt the Panthers into a national force, guiding them to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2023 and helping 16 players turn professional across North America and Europe.
The United Soccer Coaches described Waldrum's career as ‘over four decades of excellence,' a huge recognition of his role in building collegiate programs, nurturing world-class talent, and advancing women’s football globally.
