In late October 2018, Randy Waldrum awoke to a glut of texts, tweets and Facebook posts, that all — in different verbiage — congratulated him for being appointed the new head coach of Nigeria’s women’s national team.

It was odd, Waldrum thought — especially considering he’d never formally applied for the job.

“I didn't hear anything from Nigeria itself,” Waldrum admitted.

That frenetic morning kicked off a hectic four years for the Pittsburgh women’s soccer head coach, a period in which he accepted two jobs, rejected a third, qualified for a World Cup, crashed out of a tournament, and rebuilt a flailing soccer program. And now, nearly half a decade on, Waldrum finds himself the manager of two teams, flying continent to continent to coach, all while enjoying what might be his most successful season in a long time.

“We're sitting in a really, really good spot now. This has been a lot of fun,” Waldrum said.

Waldrum had known for some time that he wanted to get back into international management. It was the summer of 2018 and the coach was between jobs. His time leading the Houston Dash had recently ended — in dramatic fashion, as the Dash failed to make the playoffs in all three of their first seasons in the NWSL. He’d also been removed as Trinidad and Tobago’s head coach the year before, with the Women’s Soca Warriors opting to hire a Caribbean native to lead the team going forward.

So, when US Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati reached out and asked if Waldrum was interested in the Nigeria job, he was immediately intrigued. But months passed, and Waldrum was yet to hear back from the football federation. Instead, he looked elsewhere and took on the challenge of rebuilding a Pittsburgh program that hadn’t garnered a winning record since 2015. When those messages blew up his phone that fall, Waldrum was already employed.

“I said, ‘You guys, it's too late. I've waited three months and, and not heard a word,’” Waldrum recalled.

The assumption from the Nigerian camp was that the Texan could easily abandon the Pitt job and assume international management full time. But Waldrum swiftly rebuffed that presumption and turned down the job — citing his dedication to a contract he penned just weeks before. The job went elsewhere, with Thomas Deanery assuming the role. But Deanery never settled in, resigning after a few games due to a dispute with the football federation.

Nigeria went with the logical decision, turning back to the first choice that had flatly denied it less than two years before. This time, Waldrum was far more receptive, especially after getting the blessing of Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke. And although Nigeria once again announced his tenure without the application process being formally completed, Waldrum found himself in a more stable situation with two jobs in October 2019.

But he had a plan. Waldrum had appointed his son, Ben, as a volunteer assistant at Notre Dame coach back in 2003. Ben had stuck around since then, learning the art of coaching under his father’s guidance. Their story has been one of separating and reconnecting over the years — with some rivalries on the pitch, too. Randy Waldrum recalls seeing his son coach a youth team that competed against his Houston Dash youngsters nearly 10 years ago.

But after Randy’s time at Notre Dame ended, he brought his son back into the fold as an assistant on Trinidad and Tobago's squad. There, the two formed a solid father-son partnership for the first time. Largely written off in qualification, Trinidad came within 90 minutes of playing in its first ever World Cup — only to be denied by a fluke bounce in the final playoff contest. Though it was a massive disappointment to the team and staff alike, it showed what the two could be capable of as a duo.

“I think we're very like minded in our coaching philosophies or ideas about the game,” Ben Waldrum said.

So, Randy brought Ben along to help build the Pitt program. And there was a lot to do; the Panthers had never made the ACC or NCAA Tournament. The duo went about setting up a philosophy that ran through the program. It set the Panthers up for success, with the team steadily improving — culminating in a first ever NCAA Tournament appearance this year.

For Randy, it was vital that everything ran smoothly — well aware of the fact that he might have to jet off to a game once or twice per season. As such, Ben learned the ropes and oversaw a heavy load of coaching responsibilities. Though Randy is listed as head coach — with Ben as an associate — there’s not much of a hierarchy to things.

“He’s been pretty much coaching the team the last few years,” Randy said. “We both got there and worked our tails off.”

And Ben needs to be. On October 4, Randy boarded a flight to Japan to meet up with the Nigeria national team. It was the day before a potentially tricky fixture against a solid side, and the American coach only had 12 players to take training with. And although another six flew in that evening, Waldrum found himself shorthanded against one of the best teams in the world. The result was a 3-0 loss — after which his players dispersed on 20 hour flights around the world.

Meanwhile, Pitt traveled to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to face the then no. 3 Tar Heels — in the biggest game of the season at that point. Ben took charge of the game, where the Panthers were beaten 4-0 on a warm Thursday night. Randy watched the highlights on a 20 hour flight back, offering feedback and pointing out tactical tweaks for his son on the way.

He returned Friday morning, jetlagged and weary. The day after, he caught a flight down to North Carolina, linking up with his squad as they faced Duke. Ben had once again set up the team. And this time it was far closer, with Pitt hitting the bar twice in the last two minutes. Still, it was unable to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

It wasn’t the first time Waldrum has ceded control, and it certainly won’t be the last. Depending on how far Nigeria advances in 2023’s Women’s World Cup, Randy will certainly miss some of next year’s preseason. And if he takes the Super Falcons on a miraculous run, he could be unavailable for a regular season fixture or two.

But Randy has set up a system to run both jobs. He can trust his son at home, while bearing the pressure of coaching a national team, jetting around the world to oversee its success. And although his Nigeria national team contract runs out after the World Cup — leaving his international future wide open — another job might pop up.

And if it does, Waldrum has what it takes to handle both.

“I’m older, but I still feel energetic. I'm not close to slowing down yet,” Waldrum said.