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wrestling coach John Smith. Carmichael was shuffled around the OSU soccer coaching staff until he took the helm of the program in 2005. He spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons sharing the position with Hancock. Since then, Carmichael has a 149-56-29 over 10 seasons as coach of the Cowgirls. The recruiting strategy at OSU has been tactical. When the program was created, Carmichael and the recruiting staff knew they couldn’t compete against the likes of UCLA, Texas A&M or other powerhouses in collegiate women’s soccer. Recruiting in major markets across the U.S. was impossible. As a result, the Cowgirls’ roster was and is as diverse as you will find in college athletics. Athletes and their families emigrate from countries such as France, Sweden and others to the U.S., specifically Stillwater, to perform for the man who himself made the journey decades ago. What Carmichael found were two All-Americans and possibly a third in current star Courtney Dike, whose family roots trace back to Nigeria. Carmichael has proven that he deserves his position. He has helped lead the Cowgirls to nine NCAA Tournaments in 20 seasons, including several deep runs. After years of success, Carmichael and OSU soccer are finally reaping the benefits. The Cowgirls’ coaching staff has now been at the university for a combined 48 years, a testament to the trust the four-person staff of Carmichael, Hancock, and coaches Justin Elkington and Ben Williams has earned.
Highs and lows
Twenty years is longer than some OSU students have been alive. When Carmichael decided to move to Stillwater and accept FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015
o’colly File photo Soccer coach Colin Carmichael helped lead the Cowgirls to nine NCAA Tournaments in 20 seasons.
an assistant coaching job, he had his whole life in front of him. Young in his career, Carmichael was trying to sort out if this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, he said. Going from a city with a population of about 6 million to a college town with less than 1 percent of that population was a drastic change. It also wasn’t meant to last forever but rather be a steppingstone to bigger and better things. “Originally, I was looking to be here for three years, assistant coach, learn my trade a little bit and see what happens,” Carmichael said. However, everything changed in 2001. On Jan. 27, in a snowstorm above Strasburg, Colorado, a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 lost control and crashed, killing all of those aboard. The aircraft carried members of the OSU men’s basketball team, including athletic media relations coordinator and Hancock’s husband, Will Hancock. Traumatized, the team strug-
gled, but Carmichael was a reason for hope. “It may have been, to me personally, Colin’s best moment,” Hancock said. “… He just took things on and didn’t move or push anything back on me, just handled things, took care of things in a period in my life where I needed that desperately. I didn’t know how bad I needed it, and he’s a champ.” Carmichael’s scenario changed. After gauging the situation and falling in love with Stillwater, he decided to stay at OSU for a bit longer to continue building a winning program. He entered his fifth season on the Cowgirls’ coaching staff under Hancock, whose life took a turn for the worst. Hancock needed help and time to cope with the loss and begin a new chapter in her life as a single mother, so Carmichael took the reigns. “At that time, I was just a mom with a young kid,” Hancock said. “I didn’t really see (Carmichael) going anywhere, and he was getting offers to go other places, and he didn’t really want to go either, I don’t think.” OCOLLY.COM
Since Carmichael took full command of the program in the 2007 season, he has been an integral piece in the program’s success. The Cowgirls won four consecutive Big 12 championships from 2008-11, made it to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament from 2010-11 and have had seven All-American selections during Carmichael’s 10 years as coach. Tactically, Carmichael is bright. He sees things quickly and clearly. He has a good head on his shoulders, Hancock said. The effects of this program’s success on the community are evident. Today on OSU’s campus, there is a graphic at a bus stop at the corner of South Hester Street and Morrill Avenue. The graphic depicts an OSU football player on one half and on the other, the Cowgirl soccer team huddled around one another. The graphic is evidence of where this program and women’s sports as a whole have come, Carmichael said. Ten years ago,
such a depiction would have been an afterthought. “Back in those days, we played out at the Willis Field, the intramural fields, and it was slanted,” Carmichael said. “There was no bleachers.” Through the work of a man from Scotland and others, OSU soccer has gone from walk-ons on the pitch with lawn chairs around it to hundreds of fans overflowing the stands, watching highly skilled, touted athletes roam the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. None of the program’s recent success would have been possible without the help of coaches Elkington, who’s been with OSU soccer for seven years, and Hancock, Carmichael credited. It has been a group effort throughout the program’s history. The plane crash, the championships, the struggles, the victories — no one could have accomplished what this team has in 20 years without the support of the coaches, the players, the families, the university, and, most importantly, the community of Stillwater. “It is a very family-oriented community,” Carmichael said. “You have a lot of professional people who are associated with OSU, so it’s a very educated community. All the students keep it young and vibrant. There’s always something going on, and it’s welcoming. A big part of our recruiting is the people. … For years, we sold the university and the people here.” Stillwater is a unique place with unique people. Carmichael is one of those unique people. He is not the most well-known or polarizing, but after 20 years, this is still home. He is rugged. He stands for what he believes in, and he fights for what he loves. Just like the people of Stillwater. Sports @ocolly.com
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