Bio

Don Koontz enters his ninth season as the head men and women's soccer coach. Coach Koontz grew up just north of Houston in Conroe, TX, where he was a standout in soccer and track and field. From there he earned a scholarship to run track at Texas Tech University where he was a two time All Southwest Conference 800 meter runner and member of the TTU men’s club soccer team that won the NIRSA National Championship in 1997. After his time at Texas Tech, he continued his playing career with the semi-professional Lubbock Lazers, and the Lubbock Sanddevils. The teams won four regional championships and qualified for five consecutive National Indoor Championships before joining the Premier Arena Soccer League. He went on to play for various PDL and USL teams, most notably the Arizona Sahuaros where he helped the team win the MPSL Championships in 2003 and were finalist in 2004.

After his playing career, Koontz begin coaching club soccer and working on his USSF coaching licenses. He earned his “A” License in 2008 and became the Director of Coaching for the South Caprock Blitz and the Lubbock Lonestar Soccer Club where his teams competed in the Dallas Classic and Lake Highlands League respectively. He also has coached five years with New Mexico ODP and the Region IV ODP teams as well. Coach Koontz has also coached two seasons in the Premier Arena Soccer League for the Lonestar semipro indoor soccer team.

Prior to Texas A&M-Texarkana Koontz was at Sul Ross State University as the women’s soccer coach and assistant director of recreational sports, while also assisting as an assistant cross country and track coach for the Lobos where he trained the distant and middle distance runners. From 2010-2013, Coach Koontz was at the University of the Southwest, where he rebuilt the soccer program that reached the semifinals of the RRAC conference championships for the first time since 2006 for the women, and 2005 for the men. During the 2012 & 2013 season at Southwest he had 38 academic All Conference players, 4 NAIA National Scholar Athletes and 6 RRAC All Conference team members.

Koontz earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Sports Science from Texas Tech University and is completing his Master’s Degree in Kinesiology from Sul Ross State University. He is a member of the NSCAA and holds a USSF “A” License.