AUBURN, Ala. — Kelly Madsen, who has more than 10 years of experience, including the last five as an assistant coach at Syracuse, has been named assistant coach and head football coach at Auburn. Karen Hoppa announced Tuesday.
“We are very excited to add Kelly to our team,” Hoppa said. “She is a brilliant mind with extensive coaching experience at the college level and a truly elite recruiter.”
Prior to Syracuse, Madsen coached at Rice, where she assisted in all areas of the program and served as recruiting coordinator. She joined Rice from Stephen F. Austin University, where she spent seven seasons.
Off the field, Madsen organized the team’s travel and equipment, served as the program’s academic coordinator and director of camp operations. Madsen’s work has helped SFA maintain its status as the top women’s soccer program in the Southland Conference. During his seven seasons with the Ladyjacks, the team won five regular season conference titles and appeared in the SLC Tournament Finals a total of six times.
Madsen’s coaching career began at the University of Dubuque (Iowa) as an assistant coach from 2009 to 2011. She helped the Spartans win their first Iowa Conference Tournament title and their first participation in the NCAA tournament in 2009.
A native of Pensacola, Florida, she played midfielder for the University of South Alabama from 2004 to 2008. Madsen was a first-team All-Sun Belt honoree and was selected to the Sun Belt team All-Tournament. During her collegiate career, she scored 22 goals and assisted on 20 others. After graduating, she played professionally in England for the Portsmouth Women’s Football Club and in the W-League for the London Gryphons (London, Ontario).
Madsen currently holds his NSCAA National Diploma and his NSCAA Level III GK Diploma. She earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communications. She is married to Patrick Madsen. The couple have three dogs, Fergie, Rooney and Ted.
