Ewing, Miller, Sampson, and Waldrum Named to 2026 Hall of Fame Class

by | Oct 9, 2025 | Association News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 9, 2025) – United Soccer Coaches has announced the election of four individuals as the newest inductees of its Hall of Fame. All four will be inducted as members of the Class of 2026 during the 86th annual United Soccer Coaches Convention, January 12-17, 2026, in Philadelphia, PA.   Craig Ewing, a high school coach with over 1,000 career wins; Al Miller, an icon; Steve Sampson, a champion on all levels; and Randy Waldrum, a college and national team coach with decades of excellence, will be honored at the Awards Ceremony, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.   The four individuals will become the 86th, 87th, 88th and 89th inductees into the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame, established in 1991 to honor achievements in coaching, work on behalf of the association, and lifetime contributions to the game of soccer.    


Craig Ewing
Charles “Craig” Ewing enjoyed a decorated career coaching both boys and girls at the high school level, primarily at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School (Overland Park, KS). After coaching for one season at Bishop Miege High School, Ewing moved to Saint Thomas Aquinas in 1989 and became a Kansas state high school coaching legend. He coached girls until 2020 andboys until 2024. His combined record of 1,027-298-59 gave him a .763 career winning percentage. Ewing put together a career record of 465-126-24 on the girls side, earning 16 Kansas state championships. He fashioned a 562-172-35 record as boys coach, capturing 17 state titles. Ewing earned Kansas State Girls Coach of the Year honors 10 times and eight times was selected as Boys State Coach of the Year. He was named Girls Region Coach of the Year five times and Boys Region Coach of the year three times. Ewing was National Coach of the Year for twice on the girls side and once on the boys side. Ewing’s teams finished number one in the NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Fall Boys High School rankings twice and had teams in the final rankings 15 times. His girls teams were ranked in the final poll 14 different times. Ewing served on the United Soccer Coaches Boys High School All-Region and All-America committees as a regional chair for the United Soccer Coaches All-Region and All-American Committees and was a member of the Fall Boys rankings committee for over 20 years. Ewing was honored as a Sporting KC Local Legend and was named National Coach of the Year by both the National Federation of High Schools (2009) and the National High School Coaches Association (1995).  



Al Miller
Al Miller’s career was as varied as it was successful. A two-time All-America player at East Stroudsburg State University, Miller entered the coaching ranks in 1961, coaching SUNY New Paltz to conference championships and the NCAA national tournament. He then moved to Hartwick for six seasons, where his teams were perennially ranked nationally and earned six NCAA Division I national tournament selections.   Miller then moved to the pro game, coaching the 1973 Philadelphia Atoms to the North American Soccer League championship. He became the first American-born coach to win a professional soccer earning Coach of the Year honors. His Dallas Tornado teams secured four NASL playoff bids and he won an indoor championship with the 1982-1983 Tampa Bay Rowdies.   In the mid-1980’s, Miller took on management roles of teams in the Major Indoor Soccer League in Cleveland. As Force general manager, his teams led the league in attendance and revenues. The Cleveland Crunch won three league titles and led the league in attendance and revenues. A long-time fixture at the NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Convention, Miller became a regular presenter in the early 1970’s. After assisting Dettmar Cramer in the first national tour of the U.S, Soccer Coaching Schools, he became the National Director upon Cramer’s departure.   Miller is the author of the book “Winning Soccer” and he wrote the script and narrated a series of 13 instructional films entitled “Soccer for Everyone.”   He is a member of the United States Soccer Federation, Central Pennsylvania, Hartwick College, SUNY New Paltz and East Stroudsburg University Halls of Fame.  



Steve Sampson
Steve Sampson is one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of U.S. soccer, having achieved championships at the professional, college, junior college and high school levels. He is one of only three coaches in the United States to have won the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in the same year, which he did in 2005 while head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy. As Technical Director and Head Coach of the U.S. National Teams, Sampson was the first American born coach to qualify the United States to a World Championship berth in 1997. He is one of only two U.S. coaches to have coached two national teams (USA and Costa Rica). Sampson is one of the few coaches to have won an NCAA Division I division one national co-championship with an undefeated record (20-0-3 in 1989 with Santa Clara University). He accomplished this feat four years after assisting Sigi Schmid and UCLA to its first NCAA title in 1985. No Division I program has had an undefeated record since. As coach of the US National Teams, he recorded significant wins over Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.   In an effort to increase vital support for the U.S. National Team and Major League Soccer, Sampson embraced the Hispanic community. Fluent in Spanish, Sampson built the “El Equipo para Todos,” campaign, calling the U.S. National Team “Everyone’s team.”   In 1989, his peers voted him NSCAA National Soccer Coach of the Year. He also served on the NSCAA Board of Directors.   He most recently retired from California Polytechnic State University after 17 years of Division I coaching (Cal Poly, Santa Clara and UCLA) and 45 years total of soccer coaching and administration at all levels in the United States and abroad. He continues in retirement as President of the Central Coast United Soccer Club in the central coast of California, overseeing 38 teams with 600 athletes, coaches and administrators.      


Randy Waldrum
Randy Waldrum’s career represents over four decades of excellence, from building collegiate programs and developing world-class players to leading national teams on the global stage. His vision, professionalism and commitment to the growth of women’s soccer have left an indelible mark on the sport – both in the United States and internationally.   After stints coaching men at Austin College, Texas Wesleyan College and the University of Tulsa (where he also coached the women), Waldrum founded the women’s program at Baylor University, leading them to their first ever Big XII Conference championship in any sport.   In 1999 he took over the women’s program at the University of Notre Dame, leading them to 10 Big East Conference regular season championships, eight Final Four appearances and two NCAA national championships. He was a five-time Big East Coach of the Year, and four-time National Coach of the Year.   Waldrum led the NWSL expansion franchise Houston Dash for three seasons before moving to the University of Pittsburgh to build that program from the ground up. With over 400 NCAA Division I wins,  he ranks among the top 6 all-time in women’s collegiate soccer. Internationally, he has coached the U.S. Women’s U-23 National Team (2012-14), the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Team (2014-16) and is the current coach of the Nigeria Women’s National Team. He led that team to the round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.   He served on the United Soccer Coaches Board of Directors, leading to the Association’s presidency in 2009. He holds a U.S. Soccer A License and serves on both the U.S. Soccer Federation and United Soccer Coaches National Academy staff. Waldrum has previously been recognized and inducted into the Irving All-Sports Hall of Fame, the Midwestern State University Hall of Honor, the University of Tulsa Hall of Fame and the Irving Independent School District Athletic Hall of Fame.
Paul Payne, President of the United Soccer Coaches, has this to say about the Class: “United Soccer Coaches is honored to recognize our four newest members of our Hall of Fame, Craig Ewing, Al Miller, Steve Sampson, and Randy Waldrum. These coaching legends have positively impacted our game from youth to high school to the collegiate ranks as well as the international game. With all they have accomplished in their careers the biggest impact has been in making our game better because of them. Congratulations to Craig, Al, Steve and Randy. You truly represent the best of United Soccer Coaches!”   The United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to honor achievements in coaching, work on behalf of the association, and lifetime contributions to the game of soccer. Individuals are elected to the association’s Hall of Fame based on selections made through balloting of the Hall of Fame Committee. Click here for a list of previous United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame inductees.