As the longest-running, winningest coach ever, coach Mark Francis has introduced many firsts for the Kansas women’s soccer team.

In his first season, he led the team to its best record. In 2001, he lead it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. In 2003, Kansas defeated Nebraska for the first time in school history. That season ended with the team’s first trip to the Sweet 16. This past season, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America named him Central Region Coach of the Year.

Before coming to Kansas, Francis was the coach of South Alabama University. He was hired in 1996 and finished his first season as coach with a record of 2-17. The following season he led South Alabama to an 18-3-1 record. The 16-win turnaround was the biggest in NCAA Division I soccer history.

Besides his coaching experience, Francis played professionally for 10 seasons with various teams.

Francis’ arrival in 1999 marked an arrival of Kansas soccer on the national scene. Since then, Francis’ teams have recorded several team records, including consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2004.

“It feels good,” Francis said. “We have made progress and accomplished a lot in the past few seasons. It’s exciting.”

In his first season at Kansas, he led the women’s team to its best record in the program’s five-year history as a team. Francis showed the team and fans that he was at Kansas to win, tying the school record for wins at home. During the 2000 season, Francis took the Jayhawks to their first Big 12 tournament, in San Antonio.

In 2001, he lead his team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The squad broke more than 12 school records that season. He won his first regional coach of the year honor at the end of season.

After losing in the NCAA Tournament, Francis helped the team start the 2002 season with a 6-1-1 record, the best start in school history.

In 2003, the Jayhawks ended the season 18-6-1, the best record in school history until this year. The team defeated Nebraska for the first time in school history. The Jayhawks also defeated Missouri twice in the same season — once in the regular season competition and once in the NCAA Tournament. The season also brought the team’s first trip to the Sweet 16.

Kansas ranked among the top 10 in the national polls nine out of 11 weeks this past season. Francis led the Jayhawks to victory against a top-10 opponent, No. 7 Clemson, for the first time. At the end of the season, Francis gave credit to the seniors for a successful season.

He said this year’s seniors left a considerable imprint in the future for Jayhawk soccer.

“They have made the team one of the top-20 programs in the NCAA,” Francis said,” and that will be the legacy they leave here. When they came here four years ago, Kansas soccer was not where it is at now, and a lot of that credit goes to those six players.”

Francis gained his 100th career victory on vs. Texas Tech on Oct. 1. Reaching that level was a prestigious moment for Francis.

“At first I didn’t even know it ’til a reporter told me, but it was a great milestone for me,” Francis said. “What it means though is that I’m getting old, I’ve been doing this for a long time now. But I look forward to another 100 victories some day.”

This season, the team won its first Big 12 championship but was defeated by Nebraska and forced to exit the NCAA Tournament in the second round.

“Next year we have a talented group coming back, young, but talented. I’m excited for next season. We hope to win it again, obviously,” Francis said of the prospect of another Big 12 title. “You can’t go backward as a team, you have to move forward. Our goal will be to win it again, and move forward.”