Lesle Gallimore

Lesle D. Gallimore (born October 17, 1963) is an American sports administrator and former soccer coach who is currently the general manager of OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[1] From 2020 to 2023, Gallimore was the inaugural commissioner of the Girls Academy League.[2]

Lesle Gallimore
Gallimore coaching in Morocco in May 2012
Gallimore coaching in Morocco in May 2012
Biographical details
Born (1963-10-17) October 17, 1963
Los Angeles, California
Playing career
1982–1985California
Position(s)Defender
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1986–1989California (assistant)
1990–1993San Diego State
1994–2019Washington
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2020–2023Girls Academy (commissioner)
2023–OL Reign (general manager)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Pac-10 (2000)
Awards
  • NSCAA National Coach of the Year (2000)
  • Soccer Buzz National Coach of the Year (2000)
  • NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year (1994, 2000)
  • Pac-12/Pac-10 Coach of the Year (2000, 2019)
  • Washington Youth Soccer Hall of Fame Inductee (2019)
  • NSCAA Women's Committee Award of Excellence (2012)
Records
  • Most wins in Washington history (270)

As a coach, Gallimore coached the women's soccer program at the University of Washington and retired as the winningest coach in program history. Her career victories rank in the top 25 in Division I women's soccer history.[3]

Gallimore participated in 21 NCAA Tournaments, including three as a player at California (1983, 1984, 1986), three as an assistant coach at California (1986–1988) and 15 as the head coach at Washington (1994–1996, 1998, 2000–2001, 2003–2004, 2008–2010, 2012, 2014–2015, 2019).[4]

Early life

Gallimore grew up in Redondo Beach, California and attended South Torrance High School.[5]

Gallimore was a four-time All-American defender at the University of California, Berkeley from 1982–1985 and helped lead the Golden Bears to the national playoffs three out of her four seasons. She earned second-team All-America honors in 1983 and 1985.[4]

For her success as a player, Gallimore was named California's 1976–86 Athlete of the Decade.[5] In 2015, she was named to the Pac-12 Women's Soccer All-Century Team.[6]

Coaching career

University of California, Berkeley

After graduating, Gallimore served as an assistant coach at California from 1986 through 1989.[5][7]

San Diego State University

From 1990–1993, Gallimore was the head coach at San Diego State University ending her tenure with a 32–25–9 (.553) record. While at SDSU she also won the National Amateur tournament as a player and captained the West to the Olympic Festival gold medal in 1993.[8]

Under Gallimore's leadership, the Aztecs women's soccer program steadily gained prominence. San Diego State had just two games against Division I opponents prior to Gallimore's arrival in 1990, but by her second season they had a 9–6–3 record that included 12 Division I teams and five Top 20 opponents.[5]

University of Washington
Further information: Washington Huskies women's soccer

Gallimore was hired as Washington's second head coach in February 1994, replacing the program's inaugural coach, Dang Pibulvech. Her first team broke the existing school records for most goals scored, fewest goals allowed and most shutouts. It was also the first appearance for the Huskies at the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the regional semifinal, but losing to the Stanford Cardinal, 6–5, on penalty kicks.[4]

On January 15, 2019, Gallimore announced that she would retire from collegiate coaching after the 2019 season, her 26th year at Washington.[9] She led the team back to the NCAA Tournament and was named the 2019 Pac-12 Coach of the Year.[10]

Gallimore finished her career at Washington with a 270-218-49 overall record.[5]

United States women's national team staff

In March 2001, Gallimore served as assistant coach to April Heinrichs for the U.S. Women's National Team at the Algarve Cup in Portugal.[4]

Sports envoy

In April 2012, Gallimore traveled to Morocco with former United States women's national soccer team members Angela Hucles and Marian Dalmy on behalf of the United States State Department working for the Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative. The group led soccer clinics and leadership training sessions for 104 young Moroccan female coaches as well as female coaches from Tunisia and Libya.[11]

Administrative career

Girls Academy

In June 2020, Gallimore was appointed the first-ever Commissioner of the Girls Academy league.[12] The league was formed as a replacement for the now-defunct U.S. Soccer Development Academy.[13]

Honors

Gallimore was named the University of California's Athlete of the Decade for 1976–86 and was inducted into the Cal Hall of Fame in 1995.[4]

She was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2000 and voted the 2000 National Coach of the Year in a poll of coaches conducted by Soccer Buzz.

Gallimore was twice named NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year, in 1994 and 2000.[4]

Gallimore was named 2019 Pac-12 Coach of the Year.[10]

See also

References
  1. https://www.olreign.com/news/ol-reign-appoints-lesle-gallimore-as-general-manager
  2. Kassouf, Jeff (July 10, 2020). "Q+A: Wes Schevers discusses core principles of new Girls Academy League". The Equalizer. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. "Pac-12 Leaders Up Next For Huskies". University of Washington. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  4. "Washington Huskies 2008 Women's Soccer" (PDF). University of Washington. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  5. "Lesle Gallimore". University of Washington Athletics.
  6. "Pac-12 All-Century Women's Soccer team announced". Pac-12 Conference. October 6, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  7. Okanes, Jonathan (October 2, 2019). "Can She Get A 'Go Bears'?". Cal Athletics. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  8. "Lesle Gallimore profile". Northwest Soccer Camp. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  9. "Gallimore Announces 2019 Will Be Final Campaign". University of Washington Athletics. January 15, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  10. "Gallimore, Yates, Pang Earn Pac-12 Awards". University of Washington Athletics. November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  11. "Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports in Morocco". United States Department of State. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  12. "MLS to collaborate with the Girls Academy, largest all-girls youth soccer organization in USA | MLSSoccer.com". Major League Soccer. October 22, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  13. Nilsson, Ryan (April 25, 2020). "U.S. Soccer shutters Development Academy, but elite athletes have plenty of options". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
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