Former SMU coach lands new gig

[PonyPride]

From the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel"

SFA hires Van Linder as new soccer coach

Thursday, February 28, 2008

SFA athletics director Robert Hill announced Tuesday the hiring of George Van Linder as head coach of the Ladyjack soccer program.

Van Linder's hiring concludes a national search that spanned more than a month following the departure of former head coach Jaime Frias in mid-January.

"I am very pleased that we were able to hire a coach of George's caliber and with his credentials," Hill said. "We have a soccer program that has consistently been one of the best in the Southland Conference, and we wanted an established coach who could continue the momentum we've been able to generate. I believe George is a perfect fit for this program and our department."

Van Linder is a veteran who has compiled 12 years as a head coach at the NCAA Division I level. He most recently spent five seasons as the head coach at Baylor.

"I'd first like to thank Robert Hill for this opportunity," Van Linder said Tuesday. "I'm very excited about the possibilities this position will present. I think SFA is the best-kept secret in women's collegiate soccer, and I want to help spread the word."

In three head coaching stops, Van Linder has compiled a career record of 124-99-20 (.551). In his time at Baylor, he led the Bears to a 31-52-9 record. His tenure included a 2006 trip to the Big 12 Tournament — Baylor's first in five years — two all-conference honorees and 41 Academic All-Big 12 selections. Under Van Linder, goalkeeper Ashley Noah was chosen for the U-20 U.S. National Team, and the squad recorded victories against nationally ranked teams Texas, Nebraska and Missouri.

Prior to taking over at Baylor, Van Linder logged four seasons as the head coach at SMU. His record there was 59-21-10, and he guided the Mustangs to four straight Western Athletic Conference regular-season championships. SMU reached the NCAA Tournament in three of Van Linder's four years in charge, winning at least its first-round game all three times and reaching the Sweet 16 in 1999.

The Mustangs finished the season ranked in the national polls in three of their four years under Van Linder. The coach was named WAC Coach of the Year in 2000 and earned the Dallas Morning News Coach of the Year award in '99.

Van Linder began his collegiate head coaching career in 1996, when he took the reins at Butler. In three seasons at Butler, Van Linder's teams compiled a 34-26-1 record. The Bulldogs finished two of those seasons ranked in the national polls. Butler won the conference regular-season and tournament championships in 1996 and reached the championship game of the conference tournament in every season under Van Linder.

In addition to a pair of stints as an assistant coach at the college level and multiple coaching stops at both the high school and club level, Van Linder has been affiliated with the Olympic Development Program since 1994.

He spent six years as the head coach for both the boys and girls state teams with the Indiana Youth Soccer Association before taking over as the head coach for girls state teams with the North Texas Youth Soccer Association in 1999. Van Linder served in that capacity for five years and has been a staff coach with the ODP's Region III since 2000.

Van Linder holds the highest coaching licenses offered by the two premiere soccer coaches' organizations in the U.S. He earned his United States Soccer Federation "A" license in 1990.

He was 25 at the time, one of the youngest coaches to ever receive the USSF's highest certification. In 2002, Van Linder earned his Premier License accreditation through the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

At SFA, Van Linder takes over a program that has established itself as the class of the Southland Conference. The Ladyjacks went 13-5-2 and won an unprecedented fifth SLC regular-season championship in the fall, giving SFA nearly half of the possible titles in the 11-year history of SLC soccer.

The Ladyjacks also won the SLC Tournament championship, marking the first time in school history for the team to win both titles in the same season. The Ladyjacks went on to the second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

"I'm really excited about the commitment SFA has made to women's soccer," Van Linder said. "It's obvious that success in soccer means a lot here, and it's great to inherit a team that is the defending conference champion."

Van Linder has a wife, Christina, and a four-year-old daughter named Mariska.