Moms to Know: Mindy McCord, University of South Florida Women’s Lacrosse
As the oldest and fastest growing sport in North America, lacrosse is a culture, a community and a mindset. And under the leadership of Head Coach Mindy McCord, the introduction of women’s lacrosse at the University of South Florida (USF) is proving to be exactly what skilled female players and emerging youth athletes needed most for sports in Tampa Bay.
Tell us about the journey that led you to Tampa in 2022.
Mindy McCord: My husband, Paul, and I have been around the sport of lacrosse since 1999 as a couple – first as friends and then … a couple, getting married in 2002. We moved to Florida soon after as Paul was an assistant coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
We started our own sports marketing company in 2005. Then we did a business plan and started the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams at Division I Jacksonville University where we found great success on the women’s side. As one of the smallest D1 programs, we built a perennial top-20, Sweet-16 program there and produced some amazing graduates!
Michael Kelly called on us to explore the USF option when they started their program. At first I was not wanting to leave our home in Jacksonville. I loved the school so much and we had so many friends there. We had no complaints. But Mr. Kelly was compelling and the D1 landscape is changing rapidly.
After interviewing live, I felt drawn to Tampa and to USF in their commitment to put women’s lacrosse on the national landscape to contend for championships, with world class facilities, and an AAU education. Of course we always enjoy building things from scratch! It was a great fit!
What is your mission as a coach?
Mindy McCord: My motto is to change lives one stick at a time. I feel so blessed by sports and all that great coaches have taught me over the years, that I want to give back. It’s my calling. I should first give credit to God for the calling. I want to follow His path.
Please share the impact that both you and your husband have had on lacrosse in Florida.
Mindy McCord: When we came to Florida, lacrosse was very sporadic. We wanted to see it played in every corner of the state, so we did inexpensive or free clinics all over the state to teach the game. We started the first comprehensive club program in four areas of the state (Jacksonville, Orlando, Southeast Florida and Southwest Florida) and we had kids from other areas join as well. We helped more than 400 kids find colleges to play lacrosse during a ten year span.
Paul started the best girls lacrosse tournaments in the southeast and his model was used by USA Lacrosse for best practices. We started local youth leagues that still exist to this day. More than 2,000 kids have played in the league.
As a mom of two, in what ways has your passion for athletics and team sports influenced your daughter and son?
Mindy McCord: I value physical fitness and being outside, away from screen time. If not sports, playing outside with friends. Learning conflict resolution with kids, the way we did. Developing problem solving skills without YouTube. Keeping healthy by being active and making it a part of our lives as a family.
Teamwork and service are two words that we follow as a family. We have busy lives and without those two words actively expressed in our lives each day, we would struggle to operate.
Spring 2025 marked the start of the historic inaugural season for the University of South Florida’s Women’s Lacrosse team. How did you recruit and grow this group of athletes?
Mindy McCord: Paul is the master recruiter. His ability to work as hard as he can, as smart as he can is what has propelled us building a highly competitive team in just our first year. He will tell you that he prays for people every day, and he prays that the right caliber of player will be drawn to Tampa to be a part of our team.
Our Associate Head Coach, Britt Orashen, should receive the majority of the accolades. She is a pied piper for girls in sport. They just love her and connect with her. The two of them are a true dynamic duo on the recruiting circuit, and you will see the fruits of their labor sprouting up in the first five seasons of our program!
One of your key pillars for the team is faith. Let’s expand on what that has meant for you in your career and what you hope to teach your players too.
Mindy McCord: Faith is everything to me. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen. Wherever someone is in their faith walk, I hope they can see the love of God through our actions and take steps in their own spiritual journey.
We live in a free society, and people have the freedom to express their views. At the end of the day, we hope that our faith serves as a positive reminder of hope to everyone we meet.
What do you enjoy most about living in Tampa Bay?
Mindy McCord: I enjoy the cultural diversity and the options to experience so much life in a beautiful waterside community. Downtown is so impressive, but so are the beaches, the state, county, national parks, the neighborhoods, and the sports culture of Champa Bay. We are big boaters as well and we love the communities we have frequented from Apollo Beach to Tarpon Springs.
I also want to thank the several thousands of people who have been attending our lacrosse games on campus! I hope more people bring their families to our matches and truly experience what a community-based Division I lacrosse program is all about!
I invite you to meet our players and coaches after each match, get autographs and pictures, come on the field for pre-game national anthem and as mascots for our games, and help us to set records and become the NCAA champion we dream of becoming one day!
We are grateful and we want you to feel that vibe! https://gousfbulls.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/schedule.
We also offer great summer camp experiences, please visit www.usflaxcamps.com for more information.
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*Presented by USF Athletics | Originally published in the April 2025 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.