John Hedlund

Last updated
John Hedlund
CollegeMidwestern State (BS)
Playing Experience [1]
LevelsSchool Years
CollegeMidwestern State (1980–84)
Professional CareerUS National Team (1983–84)
New York Express (1984–85)
Dallas Rockets (1988–91)
Dallas Sidekicks (1986-1995)
Coaching Experience [1]
YearSchool, Position
1995–presentUniversity of North Texas, Women's Head Coach
1991-93University of North Texas, Men's Assistant Coach
Coach of the Year Awards [1]
YearAward
2001Dallas Morning News
2004Greater Denton Sports Commission
2005Greater Denton Sports Commission
2004Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year
2005Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year
Career Coaching Record
Career Record299-115-26 (.709) [1]

John Hedlund is an American soccer coach who oversees the North Texas Mean Green women's soccer program. He is a retired defender who played in the Major Indoor Soccer League, USISL, and Continental Indoor Soccer League. In 1995, Hedlund concluded a 12-year professional playing career, in which he played defender for the United States Men's Olympic team (1983–84), the New York Express (1984–85), the Dallas Sidekicks (1986–87 and 1992–95) and the Dallas Rockets (1988–91).

Contents

Player

Amateur

Hedlund graduated from Plano Senior High School. He attended Midwestern State University, playing on the men's soccer team from 1980 to 1984. A four-year letter winner at Midwestern State University, Hedlund was twice voted to the NAIA All-America team in college (1983 & 1984). He scored 26 goals and added 12 assists, playing several different positions on the pitch. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1983 NAIA National Tournament in which he tied the all- time tournament record of scoring four goals in one game. Hedlund helped lead the Indians to the National finals both his sophomore and junior year (1983 & 1984). He graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and with a minor in sociology in 1985 and was inducted into the Midwestern State Hall of Fame in 1984. [2] During his collegiate career, Hedlund played for the U.S. Olympic soccer team traveling to Finland, Sweden, South Korea and all throughout the United States playing in several games/tournaments representing his country.

Professional

In 1986, Hedlund signed with the New York Express of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Express folded about two-thirds of the way through the season. On March 20, 1987, Hedlund signed as a free agent with the Dallas Sidekicks. He played the last ten games of the 1986–1987 MISL season and continued to play for the Sidekicks into the playoffs. That year, they won the MISL championship, defeating the Tacoma Stars. In 1988, Hedlund joined the Richardson Rockets of the Southwest Independent Soccer League. In 1991, the Rockets won the 1991 SISL championship and went to the final of the 1991 U.S. Open Cup, where they fell to the Brooklyn Italians. The Rockets went to the fourth round of the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, where it fell to Club América at Azteca Stadium in Mexico. In June 1993, Hedlund left the Rockets, now known as the Dallas Rockets, to sign with the Dallas Sidekicks, who were then playing summer indoor soccer in the Continental Indoor Soccer League. The Sidekicks won the 1993 CISL championship, defeating the San Diego Sockers then fell in the finals of the 1994 championship to the Las Vegas Dustdevils. Hedlund was a part of two championships with the Dallas Sidekicks; the 1987 & 1993 team. As a defender, Hedlund scored 15 goals and dished out 19 assists in 78 games. He ranks 19th in team history in blocked shots (120). During the playoffs, Hedlund had a total of 33 blocked shots, the 12th most in Sidekicks history. Hedlund scored five goals in the 1994 CISL playoffs for the Sidekicks, and ranks 20th in club history in playoff goals. Hedlund retired from professional soccer in 1995 to be the head women's soccer coach at the University of North Texas.

Coaching career

In 20 years of coaching at North Texas, John Hedlund has established himself as one of the most successful coaches in Texas and the central region. Hedlund has served as the only head coach in Mean Green soccer history and has won 299 games, which ranks 19th all-time among NCAA Division I women's soccer head coaches.

In 21 years as the head coach at North Texas, Hedlund has secured winning seasons in every season. Since 1995, Hedlund has led North Texas to a 373-141-40 record (71.0 percent); the ninth-best winning percentage among all active coaches nationally at just one school. [3]

The 2015 season might go down as the best in school history. North Texas set a school record with 19 victories, the team won back-to-back regular season titles, won its first Conference USA tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in school history. The team finished the season ranked No. 3 in the central region and received notes in the national poll throughout the season. [4]

Hedlund and has teams have won 11 conference titles in his 21 years coaching. He has led the Mean Green to seven regular season titles and four trips to the NCAA Tournament (2004, 2005, 2012, 2015). Hedlund led the Mean Green into the Conference USA era in 2013, and earned the league's No. 2 seed and a trip to the C-USA title game. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Sidekicks (1984–2004)</span> Soccer club

The Dallas Sidekicks were one of the longest operating professional soccer teams, either indoor or outdoor, in the United States, based in Dallas, Texas, and operating from 1984 until suspending operations following the 2003-04 season. The team was founded as a member of the original Major Indoor Soccer League. Over the years, the team played in four other leagues. The team's most famous player was Tatu, who was known for throwing his shirt into the stands after every goal. The team hosted the 1989 MISL All-Star Game. The team was one of the most successful franchises in indoor soccer history, making the playoffs in 16 of their 19 seasons of play. In the playoffs, the team made it to the championship game/series eight times, winning four titles.

Antonio Carlos Pecorari, commonly known as Tatu, is a Brazilian football coach and former player, and one of the most accomplished indoor football players of all time. He is currently the head coach of the Mesquite Outlaws in the Major Arena Soccer League. His nickname means "armadillo" in Portuguese.

Scott Manning is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. He spent four seasons in the American Soccer League where he was the 1980 league leading goalkeeper. He also played thirteen seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League where he was the 1985 MISL Goalkeeper of the Year.

Hayden Knight is a retired Trinidad-American soccer defender and current high school soccer coach. He earned three caps with the United States men's national soccer team in 1984.

James Michael Gabarra is an American retired soccer forward who coached the Washington Spirit National Women's Soccer League team, and previously coached Sky Blue FC and the Washington Freedom women's soccer teams. He played professionally in the American Soccer League, United Soccer League, American Indoor Soccer Association, Major Indoor Soccer League and Western Soccer Alliance.

Jacques LaDouceur is a Haitian-American retired soccer forward. He played two seasons in Greece before returning to the U.S. for eight seasons of indoor soccer. He also earned ten caps, scoring two goals, with the U.S. national team in 1984 and 1985.

Troy Snyder is a former U.S. soccer player who is second on the high school career scoring list with 208 goals and 117 assists. He spent most of his career playing indoor soccer, but also won an outdoor title in 1987 with the San Diego Nomads. Snyder earned five caps with the U.S. national team between 1985 and 1991 as well as another nine with the U.S. National Futsal Team. In 1983, he was a member of the U.S. team at the U-20 World Championship.

Edward Radwanski is an American former soccer midfielder. He spent the five seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League, one in the Continental Indoor Soccer League and seven in the USISL and its predecessor, the SISL. He also earned five caps with the U.S. national team in 1985.

Billy Phillips is a former U.S. soccer goalkeeper who played three seasons in the North American Soccer League, six in the Major Indoor Soccer League and later coached the Dallas Sidekicks for two seasons.

Mark Kerlin is a retired U.S. soccer forward who spent most of his career in indoor leagues. He also played one season in the Western Soccer League and two in the American Professional Soccer League.

David Doyle is an Irish soccer forward who spent seventeen seasons playing indoor soccer in the United States. He was the 1987–1988 Major Indoor Soccer League Rookie of the Year, was the 1996 and 1999 indoor soccer scoring champion and a six time first team All Star.

Roderick Scott is a Canadian former soccer player and coach.

Jorge Espinoza is a Chilean retired professional soccer player who played in the Major Indoor Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League. He also coached at the high school, collegiate and professional levels including two games with the San Jose Clash of Major League Soccer in 1999.

Joe Papaleo is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League and the Continental Indoor Soccer League. He was the 1990 MISL Goalkeeper of the Year and the 1993 CISL Goalkeeper of the Year. He currently coaches the Christian Brothers Academy boys' soccer team and is the former coach of the Syracuse Silver Knights Academy team. In 2012, he became the Goalkeeper coach for the MISL team the Syracuse Silver Knights.

Nicholas Stavrou is an English football midfielder and coach, who played thirteen years of professional indoor soccer with the Dallas Sidekicks. He currently serves as head coach of Fort Worth Vaqueros FC in the National Premier Soccer League and as the assistant coach for the Mesquite Outlaws of the Major Arena Soccer League.

Lynn Venable is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the American Indoor Soccer Association, Major Indoor Soccer League, USISL and Continental Indoor Soccer League.

The 1983–84 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the sixth in league history and ended with the Baltimore Blast winning their first MISL championship. The Blast would beat the St. Louis Steamers in the championship series, the third time in five seasons the Steamers would lose in the MISL championship round. This would be the first time the MISL finals would be a best-of-seven series, part of the league's expanded playoff format.

The 1984–85 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the seventh in league history and ended with the San Diego Sockers winning their second MISL title in three seasons over the Baltimore Blast. It was the Sockers' fourth straight indoor title, as they had also won the North American Soccer League's indoor league in the spring of 1984.

The 1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the eighth in league history and ended with the San Diego Sockers winning their third MISL title in four seasons over the Minnesota Strikers. It was the Sockers' fifth straight indoor title, as they had also won the North American Soccer League's indoor league in 1982 and 1984.

Rusty Troy is a retired American soccer player. He played for the University of North Texas. He was drafted and played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League and USISL. He was the 1989 MISL Rookie of the Year and the 1998 PSA Defender of the Year.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "North Texas Soccer Fact And Records Book" (PDF). North Texas Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  2. ↑ Midwestern State Hall of Fame
  3. ↑ "Women's Soccer Coaching Records" (PDF). NCAA.com.
  4. ↑ "NSCAA NCAA Division I Women - Central - Final Regular Season Poll - November 10, 2015".
  5. ↑ "North Texas Soccer Fact And Records Book" (PDF). North Texas Athletics. pp. 3–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.