Jill Ellis

A few hours before Sunday's Women's World Cup final, John Ellis will seat himself at his organ and play "You'll Never Walk Alone," Liverpool Football Club's stirring anthem. A Royal Marine commando who became a football coach, the 80-year-old is no vocalist, but nevertheless he will warmly sing the words and glance at a framed photograph of his daughter, Jill. It is a ritual the Englishman goes through every time the United States plays.

Jill Ellis ’88, head coach of the World Cup-winning U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, will speak at William & Mary’s 2016 Commencement ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m. May 14 in William & Mary Hall.