In the 1980s and early 1990s, Northwestern was a national field hockey power. The Wildcats had 15 winning seasons in 16 years, including five Big Ten titles and four semifinal appearances in the NCAA tournament.
Recently NU has fallen on hard times, completing its 13th straight losing season this past fall. The disappointing year resulted in the non-renewal of coach Kelly McCollum’s contract.
To rekindle the program’s prior success, Athletic Director Jim Phillips decided the way to attract top young athletes across the country was to hire a coach who is regarded as one of the best field hockey players in United States history.
Tracey Fuchs captained the U.S. National team for 14 years and has played in the most international field hockey matches in U.S. history, competing in the Olympics twice. She also won a national championship at Connecticut in 1985.
As far as her coaching career goes, Fuchs has spent 12 of the past 13 years as an assistant at Michigan, winning another national title in 2001. Having been at a Big Ten school, she faced NU at least once a year and is aware of its prestigious history.
“I can see the tradition and what (Northwestern) has to offer and how beautiful it is here,” Fuchs said. “Knowing their academics and athletics, it’s a perfect fit.”
Fuchs’s familiarity with the conference also gives her an edge because she knows the tendencies of many of the Cats’ opponents.
“If I came in from another conference, I wouldn’t know the teams as well or their styles or systems,” she said. “It should make the transition a little bit easier.”
The new coach also stressed a desire to put her own stamp on the program; Fuchs expects to implement more full-field pressure to create turnovers. But before Fuchs commits to any more modifications, she said she has to evaluate NU’s personnel so she can fit the system to the players.
In addition to her work as an assistant coach at Michigan, Fuchs has guided the U.S. Junior National team. She said her experience was great preparation for her first collegiate head coaching job, and that her access to game footage will be especially useful.
“If players can watch a skill, just like when we were growing up, that’s how we imitate people and that’s how we learn,” Fuchs said.
Coaching the Juniors helped Fuchs form strong recruiting ties, and she has a clear idea of the type of player she hopes to attract to Evanston.
Fuchs described herself as being a creative passer and having good vision and game smarts when she played. Though athleticism is undoubtedly important, the two-time Olympian said she prefers a player with more advanced skills specific to field hockey. Stick skills and proper technique are some of the particularly important ones.
“Our game is one of the most difficult technically,” Fuchs said. “Obviously I want (good) athletes, but for me I would rather have a better field hockey player who’s smart than a better athlete because it takes six to eight years to develop the field hockey sense.”
The lessons Fuchs learned playing on the U.S. National team also will be beneficial. As captain, she had to serve as a coach on the field.
She said embracing each player’s differences was the most crucial thing she discovered – people grow and learn in a variety of ways, and those dissimilarities are what make great teams.
“When you travel and go to Russia and Cuba with 15 of your best friends, that was my family and everybody is so different,” Fuchs said. “If you can just respect each other’s differences you’re going to be so much stronger and so much of a better leader.”
Something else Fuchs picked up from her 268 worldwide matches for the U.S. National team was to allow players to be creative instead of harping on them. She said she considers herself a players’ coach because she encourages imagination. Fuchs practices this originality herself in game plans and halftime adjustments.
The saying goes that the best players do not usually make the best coaches, but Fuchs is an exception because of her tactical understanding of the sport and ability to communicate it to others.
“I can teach the skills,” she said. “I think sometimes the best players don’t know how they do it, and those are the players that can’t break down a skill and teach a skill to a younger player. I had to work to get my skills where they were, and I think some people are just natural.”
Although some lingering sadness from McCollum’s departure remains, the players are excited to learn from one of the game’s greats.
Junior midfielder Stephanie Fortson, who plays the same position her new coach did, said Fuchs has infused the program with new energy.
“She brings another element to the game of field hockey,” Fortson said. “She just has so much to offer us as far as teaching techniques. She’s really ready for us to make a bigger stand in the Big Ten.”
