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 The William & Mary Tribe men's soccer team represents the College of William & Mary in NCAA Division I college soccer. The team belongs to the Colonial Athletic Association and plays home games at Albert-Daly Field. As of the 2019 season, the Tr ...

program in Williamsburg, Virginia and as a former President of

United Soccer Coaches The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

, the largest soccer coaches organization in the world.

Early life

Albert attended

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C. is the thir ...

High School (Class of 1965). He left Baltimore to study at The College of William & Mary (Class of 1969) where he played varsity lacrosse and soccer and majored in sociology.Al Albert is Just a ‘Part of the Team’

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

Bibliography

Al Albert authored the historical record ''William and Mary Men's Soccer (Images of Sports)'', published by Arcadia Publishing in 2010 as part of their Images of Sports series. The book is a 45-year retrospective of the program, and contains a foreword written by Tribe soccer's most famous alumnus,

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted ''The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts ''Th ...

of the Daily Show.

Community Partnership

The Soccer Community Partnership in Williamsburg, VA was founded by Albert in 2003 after his retirement from college coaching. The organization exists to provide local elementary school children the opportunity to play organized soccer regardless of socio-economic status. All of the programs are made possible by private donations and a legion of devoted volunteers. Hundreds of local children have participated in clinics, after-school activities, and the local recreational league through the Soccer Community Partnership.

Maccabiah

Albert assumed the role of head coach of the U.S. men's open soccer team at the

1981 Maccabiah Games The 11th Maccabiah Games brought 3,450 athletes to Israel from 35 nations. The Opening Ceremony was held on July 7, 1981, before a crowd of 53,000 and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Ramat Gan Stadium, with 3,500 Jewish athletes parading ...

and

1985 Maccabiah Games The 12th Maccabiah Games brought over 4,000 athletes to Israel from 38 nations to compete in 28 sports. History The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932. In 1961, they were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and super ...

in Israel, earning the silver medal in 1981. More recently, he assisted

Amos Magee Amos Hart Magee (born September 7, 1971) is the Director of Player Personnel for Minnesota United FC. As a player, he is the Wesleyan University Cardinals all-time leading scorer, won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 1993 Maccabiah Games ...

at the 2007 Pan-Am

Maccabiah Games The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sp ...

, where the U.S. men's open team won the gold medal defeating the host Argentina 2–0 in the final game.

NSCAA

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America ("NSCAA") is the largest single sport coaching organization in the world. In 2006, out of 22,000 members worldwide, Al Albert was elected to serve as the NSCAA's 60th President. Today Albert continues to be an active statesman within the organization, where he supports various coaching and developmental initiatives.NSCAA Bio http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/20060721113233343.php Albert was selected by the NSCAA as the 2011 recipient of the Association's Honor Award.NSCAA Award Announcement http://www.nscaa.com/news/2011/11/albert-to-receive-honor-award The prestigious Honor Award is the final presentation given annually at the NSCAA Awards Banquet.NSCAA Honor Award http://www.nscaa.com/awards/more/honor

Tidewater Soccer Camp

Al Albert owned and operated Tidewater Soccer Camp for over 35 years. Tidewater Soccer Camp provided a soccer camping experience to thousands of young men and women from 1974 to 2009.

Williamsburg Wizards

The Williamsburg Wizards were a dominant youth soccer team based in Williamsburg, Virginia. Albert coached the Wizards for ten seasons. The team consisted of local boys born in 1979 and 1980. The team traveled across the country and Europe competing against the best teams in their age group. The Wizards won six Virginia State Cup championships at u-11, u-13, u-14, u-15, u-16, and u-19.1986–1990 VYSA State Cup Champion
www.vysa.com
/ref>1991–1995 VYSA State Cup Champion

/ref>1996–2000 VYSA State Cup Champion

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Former players

William & Mary

1984 – Host of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central * Mark Goldberg – Former owner/chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club (played 1982 and 1983 only) *

Steve Christie Geoffrey Stephen Christie (born November 13, 1967) is a former Canadian American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), who, as a member of the Buffalo Bills, became known for his ability to kick clutch field goals, even in p ...

– NFL veteran kicker (played spring only) *

Curtis Pride Curtis John Pride (born December 17, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who is deaf. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. In 2015, Pride was named MLB's Ambassador For Inclusion. Since 2009 Pride has served as the head ba ...

– Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter (played spring only) * Greg Lalas – Soccer journalist (played 1990 only) * Scott Budnick 1993 – American professional soccer player *

Paul Grafer Paul Grafer (born August 7, 1974) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who spent six seasons in Major League Soccer with the Colorado Rapids and MetroStars. He was the goalkeeper coach for the United States U-17 men's national soccer team b ...

1996 – American professional soccer player and US Soccer Youth National Team Assistant Coach *

Steve Jolley Steve Jolley (born October 15, 1975) is a retired American soccer defender, who spent ten seasons in Major League Soccer and one in the Premier Development League. Today, Jolley provides color commentary for the New York Red Bull’s games on ...

1997 – American professional soccer player * Wade Barrett 1998 – American professional soccer player and former MLS coach *

Adin Brown Adin Brown (born May 27, 1978) is an American soccer coach and former player. He is currently the goalkeeping coach for Chicago Fire FC in Major League Soccer. Youth and High School Born in Pleasant Hill, California, Brown attended De La Sall ...

2000 – American professional soccer player * Ralph Bean 2002 – Bermudian soccer player and coach * Carlos García 2003 – Colombian professional soccer player

Other

Jeff Agoos Jeffrey Alan Agoos (born May 2, 1968) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos served as the Sporting Director for the N ...

, 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 Jarryd Goldberg (born November 13, 1985, in Livingston, New Jersey,) is an American soccer player. Career College Goldberg grew up in Bernards Township, New Jersey, and attended Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. He played colleg ...

, 2007 Pan-Am Maccabiah selection – American professional soccer player * Noah Palmer, Williamsburg Legacy – American professional soccer player *

Gonzalo Segares Gonzalo Segares González (born October 13, 1982) is a Costa Rican retired footballer who spent most of his career with Chicago Fire in the Major League Soccer. He currently serves as head coach for the United States U17 national team. Playin ...

, 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert, Al 1949 births Baltimore City College alumni Jewish American sportspeople Living people Sportspeople from Williamsburg, Virginia William & Mary Tribe men's soccer coaches William & Mary Tribe men's soccer players William & Mary Tribe men's lacrosse players Association footballers not categorized by position American soccer coaches Soccer players from Maryland Lacrosse players from Maryland Sportspeople from Baltimore Association football players not categorized by nationality