USAO announced Niall Crick as the new head coach for the women’s soccer team June 26. Crick is accepting the reigns from former head coach Jimmy Hampton, who has coached the men’s and women’s teams for the last 25 seasons. Hampton will continue as the men’s head coach in the fall.
Crick is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, and lived there until he made the move to USAO at the age of 19. He began his college career in 2008, where he helped lead USAO to three national tournament appearances and two All-American awards. Crick graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s in Communication and began working for USAO in the Admissions office shortly after. He worked as an admissions counselor for international students until 2016 when he became an assistant head coach for USAO’s men’s and women’s soccer teams.
While serving as an assistant coach, Crick helped lead USAO’s women’s soccer team to eight Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) titles and six National Tournament appearances. Crick has been very successful at USAO, and he said he believes that comes from Coach Hampton.
“Hampton is one of the greatest and he holds a legacy in Chickasha that is bar none to anyone else,” Crick said.
Crick expressed his confidence in this transition of becoming a head coach by saying it is a natural progression for him. He also explained that he has set several goals for the women’s team in their upcoming fall season.
“I expect USAO women’s soccer to continue on its path toward becoming one of the elite NAIA programs in the country,” Crick said.
He also mentioned that this goal has been in the works for the last five years and believes that it will become reality soon. Crick said the community atmosphere is what drew him into USAO originally, and wishes to leave that same impact on all of his players.
“I want to continue the feeling of hospitality and family atmosphere for all of these young athletes,” Crick said.
Everyone at USAO has noticed the accomplishments the women’s soccer team has had, so fans should not expect anything different this season. The new head coach stated that fans should expect a committed and passionate team that will not only fight for this program but for each other.
He also explained that his players all come from different cultural backgrounds, but that doesn’t change the team dynamic.
“When these students arrive on campus, they will quickly learn what it means to be a Drover, and our fans will see their spirit reflected on the field,” Crick said.
There hasn’t been an assistant coach announced to join Crick and the women’s soccer team yet, but he has an idea of who he would like to add. He said it is very important to him to have a female coach on staff as well. Crick said he feels strongly about hiring a female coach because there isn’t enough of female representation in the sport of soccer.
“I want my daughter to have a role model that she can look up to and see that she can become a soccer coach as well if she chooses to,” Crick said.
As Crick looks to start his first season this fall as a head coach he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity.
“The fact that I now get to do a job at a place I hold so near to my heart, is a dream come true for me,” Crick said.
Gary Jackson is a third-year Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
