Hussong retires after decorated, 23-year career
By Jake Tiger
FOLLOWING a 23-year tenure with the program, Rider field hockey Head Coach Lori Hussong announced her retirement on Jan. 30, according to a Rider Athletics press release.
Hussong leaves Rider as the winningest head coach in program history, tallying 294 total wins and reaching a career winning percentage of .661. Those marks respectively rank 12th and 11th among all active NCAA Division I field hockey head coaches.
“Coaching at Rider has been an amazing journey and I am thankful to have been part of such a special place,” said Hussong in the Rider Athletics press release. “Special thanks to my family for the many sacrifices made and support given while we were out pursuing our passion.”
Along with Hussong, her husband and top assistant coach, Dan Hussong, announced his retirement in the same press release, leaving an additional vacancy at the core of Rider field hockey’s staff.
“Most importantly, thank you to the many players, past and present for choosing Rider and the chance to be your coach,” said Lori Hussong in the Rider Athletics press release. “You will always be family to me. It’s been an honor to coach players who are not only tremendous student-athletes, but more importantly even better people. Your contributions to our program and your continued support have given [Rider field hockey] so much to be proud of and I am forever grateful.”
With her retirement, Hussong’s career-long playoff streak ended, as she led the Broncs to conference playoff appearances in 23 consecutive seasons.
Hussong capped off her final season with a Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship, the eighth of her career and second in three years. Hussong won her sixth NEC coach of the year award for her work during the 2022 season, leading the Broncs’ to the conference’s best record at 6-1.
“Lori represents everything I value in a Rider Head Coach,” said Athletic Director Don Harnum in the Rider Athletics press release. “Her teams played extremely hard and with tremendous pride, the program was well organized, her players did well academically and represented the program, the department, and the university in a positive manner both on and off the field. She made it easy to root for her team. A lot of programs overuse the words family and family atmosphere, but Lori and Dan truly did create a family atmosphere within the Rider Field Hockey program and with alumni. As much as I don’t want to see her go, I am thrilled to see her go out with a championship and I truly appreciate and value her accomplishments and our working relationship.”
The search for Rider field hockey’s next head coach will begin immediately, according to Rider Athletics.
