Notre Dame and former U.S. U23 Women’s National Team head coach Randy Waldrum has been hired as the head coach of the Houston Dash, the club announced Friday.

A new NWSL team, the Dash's hire was initially reported by local TV affiliate Fox 26 Sports. Multiple reports confirmed the appointment, before the club's announcement.

The famed Irish coach becomes the first coach for the Dash, which begins its inaugural season in March.

Waldrum has been the head coach in South Bend since 1999. He won the national champion in 2004 and 2010 with the Irish. Prior to his arrival in Notre Dame, Waldrum enjoyed successful coaching spells with Tulsa and Baylor.

In his first 14 seasons with Notre Dame, Waldrum won 12 Big East regular season crowns – a remarkable achievement in the competitive collegiate conference. He leaves the Irish at a precarious time with one of his best rosters in some time on the books including a pair of U20 Women’s National Team standouts in Morgan Andrews and Cari Rocarro as well as a recent shake-up in conference affiliation with Notre Dame’s move to the ACC in 2013.

However, Waldrum’s first coaching job was with MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas so the return to the Lone Star State is a homecoming for the tactician.

On Friday, Dash also announced the signing of the first three players to the roster via the allocation process. Whitney Engen, Teresa Noyola, and Melissa Tancredi make up the building blocks of the roster for the Dash in its first season.

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