UNC lecturer Tim Crothers and North Carolina women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance will be in the Pit on Tuesday to sign copies of “The Man Watching,” a book authored by Crothers about Dorrance and the success of the North Carolina women’s soccer program.
The hour-long event will promote the book’s paperback release and begins at noon.
Crothers was a senior writer for Sports Illustrated before returning to his alma mater to become a lecturer at the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Though he had years of journalism experience under his belt, he had a desire to become a published author.
Crothers wanted to write about something that would be both accessible and marketable. In Dorrance’s soccer dynasty, he found the perfect combination of the two.
As a former Daily Tar Heel sports writer during the 1980s, Crothers was familiar with Dorrance’s success and knew there was an untold story behind it.
When Crothers approached Dorrance, who has led the Tar Heels to 20 NCAA titles in 29 years, the coach had but one goal in mind. He wanted to use the publicity to benefit the program’s recruiting.
From 2001-2003, Crothers spent time with Dorrance and the team — going to games and listening to stories. In the process, he interviewed 127 players, with each one of them painting a similar picture of the renowned program.
Although UNC was perched at the top in collegiate women’s soccer, it was not all work and no play.
“Our competitors promote this myth that coming here will just be a soccer drudgery because we win so often, they’re thinking there’s no way we can be having any fun,” Dorrance said. “What was cool about Tim’s book is that anyone who reads it gets the absolute opposite impression.”
