DENTON, Tex. (3/30/06) University of North Texas head women’s soccer coach John Hedlund has announced the hiring of Jim Zakel as an assistant coach. Zakel, a former North Texas assistant from 1997-2000, returns to the Mean Green after a three-year head coaching stint with Nicholls State.
“”We are extremely glad to have Jim back with us,” said North Texas head coach John Hedlund. “He’s a great coach and as great teacher and he is going to be a real asset to our program”.
Zakel spent three seasons as the head coach at Nicholls State from 2001-2004 where his team produced 15 all-conference selections and 32 academic all-conference picks. As an assistant coach at North Texas, Zakel helped the Mean Green achieve its first national ranking in 2000.
He was an instrumental part in helping build the program during his time as an assistant as North Texas won 55 games while he was in Denton.
Zakel has an extensive background as a club soccer head coach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He has compiled more than 700 wins as a club soccer head coach. Zakel was the head soccer coach and goalkeeping coach of Fort Worth United from 1995-2001. Zakel was the head coach or goalkeeping coach at more than a half a dozen DFW club teams from 1997-2001.
He has coached 15 former players that have made the United States National teams and one former player has made the Mexican National team.
Zakel has also been an assistant soccer coach at TCU for two seasons and at UNLV for one. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 1994 and a Master of Science in Liberal Studies-Management from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004.
