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Former Illinois Soccer head coach and back-to-back FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Jill Ellis will be the 2020 commencement speaker for the. University of Illinois.
Jill Ellis will serve as the #ILLINOIS2020 commencement speaker.
— University of Illinois (@Illinois_Alma) January 30, 2020
Ellis has the most wins in U.S. soccer history and is the only person to win back-to-back Women’s World Cups. She was previously head coach of the first Illinois women’s soccer team ➡️ https://t.co/7a9ktvkkA8 pic.twitter.com/obFquKUqgi
Commencement is Saturday, May 16, at 9:30 a.m. in Memorial Stadium.
Ellis coached the women’s national team from 2014-19, winning two World Cups during that time and winning 132 games, the most of any coach ever.
She was the Illini’s head coach in 1997 and ‘98 before going on to a brilliant tenure at UCLA.
In a statement, Chancellor Robert Jones said: “It is an honor and privilege to welcome Jill Ellis back to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to serve as our 2020 commencement speaker. Illinois gave her an opportunity to start her career more than 20 years ago, and Ellis is an example of what enormous success can come after an Illinois experience. She illustrates how this university can set people up to achieve their wildest dreams.”
Another really cool speaker with a lot of perspective for the class of 2020.