UNC field hockey coach Karen Shelton, who has the most wins in NCAA history, is retiring

One of the most decorated college coaches to ever wear a whistle is stepping aside after 42 seasons leading the University of North Carolina field hockey program.

Karen Shelton, who took over as the Tar Heels’ head field hockey coach in 1981, announced Wednesday she will step aside from a program she largely built. Since taking over the program, Shelton has guided the Heels to 40 winning seasons, 25 ACC titles and 10 NCAA championships, including four national titles in the past five seasons.

“I don’t have the words for what it has meant to represent the University of North Carolina for the past 42 years,” Shelton said in a release. “The decision to retire is an extremely difficult one, but I feel like it’s the right time, on the heels of an outstanding season.”

North Carolina’s most recent season may have been Shelton’s best. The longtime coach guided the Tar Heels to their fifth unbeaten season in program history, finishing 21-0, culminating in both a conference and a national championship.

“Most of all I’m grateful to the many Tar Heels who have been part of our program as players and continue to support us,” Shelton said in the release. “You all have represented Carolina so well, and I’m honored to have been your coach.”

An eight-time national coach of the year, Shelton has a career record of 745-172-9, and is the winningest coach in the sport’s history. She moved into that spot on Nov. 6, 2020, with her 701st career win. She also leads all coaches in NCAA Tournament appearances, games played, and victories.

“Karen Shelton is, quite simply, an icon of Carolina Athletics,” UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said in a release. “Her legacy is more than her phenomenal 10 national championships and 745 victories — it’s about the hundreds of women who have gone on to successful lives and careers, and continued to credit her influence many years after playing for her.”

Five years ago, UNC renamed the Heels’ field hockey venue in her honor. In those five seasons, North Carolina has a record of 49-2 at Karen Shelton Stadium.

Shelton was inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame for her achievements as a coach in 2008. She was inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989 for her performance as a player, which included being a member of the U.S. National Team from 1977-84. She started for the U.S. team that won a bronze medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Shelton was U.S. Field Hockey’s Athlete of the Year in 1983.

Her connection to the national team remained strong, and several of Shelton’s UNC players over the years played for Team USA. Five of the 16 players on the U.S. roster at the 2016 Summer Games were from UNC, and every national team since 1989 has included at least one Tar Heel.