Our Opinion: SEMO women's soccer coach retiring with legacy of success

Coaches often fit into a particular mold — motivator, tactician, talent developer.

A lucky few get to put their stamp on a program as a founder. Even fewer have the skillset to build a winning program from its fledgling start.

Southeast Missouri State University’s women’s soccer head coach Heather Nelson checks all of those boxes.

In 1999, she became coach of the newly formed Redhawks team. Twenty-six seasons later, she has accumulated impressive numbers.

A few of them:

Record of 238-177-72.

Six Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships.

Two OVC tournament championships.

Two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Five-time OVC Coach of the year.

Forty players named first-team All-OVC.

And now, it’s time for her to take the next step. Coach Nelson recently announced her retirement.

She will be carrying on her commitment to helping others, but in a different way.

“I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and playing a significant part in ensuring my mother has the care, love, and support to live out her best life. As such, I have accepted a new position that will allow me the flexibility to put family first and is a perfect fit for this next chapter of my life,” she said in a statement.

We echo SEMO vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics Brady Barke as he hailed Nelson as a leader and mentor, noting on-field success and classroom excellence for her student-athletes.

SEMO has begun a nationwide search for its next women’s soccer coach, but no one will replace Coach Nelson’s position in the program.

She started it.

She built it into a winner.

She stressed winning the right way on and off the pitch.

The next coach will be walking into a program on a solid foundation.

Thanks, coach.