OMAHA, Neb. – The UNO Athletic Department announced today that Jason Mims has been chosen to be the first head men's soccer coach in school history. Mims comes to Omaha from Penn State where he was the first assistant for the Nittany Lions.
“We are excited to welcome Jason to UNO, and we look forward to helping him build a championship-level program,” said Trev Alberts, UNO's Director of Athletics. “When we began our reclassification to Division I, we considered which sports made sense, and we determined that men's soccer was an emerging opportunity for our metropolitan campus.”
“Jason's abilities and depth of experience and the strength of the applicant pool affirmed what we think will be the significant potential for the success of men's soccer at UNO,” said Mike Kemp, Associate Athletic Director and head of the search committee. “We will be the first University of Nebraska system school to offer men's soccer, and we think that Jason can build a very competitive team soon. “
Mims hiring marks a homecoming of sorts. He spent ten years as an assistant coach at Creighton, helping then-head coach Bob Warming, now the head coach at Penn State, create the Bluejays' program from the ground up. Mims helped lead Creighton to eight straight NCAA tournament appearances and six Missouri Valley Conference Championships. He was a two-time finalist for the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year award, the 2008 MVC Assistant Coach of the Year and the 2008 NSCAA Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
“I am extremely grateful to Trev, Mike and the rest of the UNO staff for this wonderful opportunity,” said Mims. “I am very excited to be coming back to Omaha and to be a part of something special at UNO. I look forward to creating more opportunities for Nebraska kids to play Division I soccer here in the state.”
Recognized as one of the best identifiers and developers of college soccer players in the nation, Mims recruited 10 All-Americans, eight conference players of the year, 21 all-region honorees and 50 all-conference picks at Creighton.
“He's been with me since 1997, and I've watched him grow and develop as a coach,” said Warming. “I regard him not only as one of the top assistant coaches in the country, but as one of the top coaches in the country.
“I'm familiar with what it takes to start a successful program, as does Jason, and I encourage the greater Omaha community to support those efforts.”
Mims also coached club soccer for six years while in Omaha, winning the Nebraska state tournament each season and qualifying for the national tournament. In 2007, he was a NSCAA National Youth Coach of the Year finalist and the regional coach of the year.
The native of Memphis, Tenn. played soccer collegiately at Saint Louis University where he was a two-time All-Conference USA selection and an NSCAA All-Midwest Region pick in 1997. Mims also played professionally for one season with Cincinnati of the A-League. He graduated from Saint Louis in 1999.
The Mavericks will begin play in men's soccer this fall.
