SHREVEPORT, LA -- Russ Sharp, the director of athletics at Centenary College, Monday announced the hiring of Jed Jones as the new Centenary soccer coach. Jones will take over for Glenn Evans, who announced his retirement in November.
"I think we've made an excellent choice in hiring Jed Jones," said Sharp. "Jed has been here for two years and knows all about our program. We had some excellent applicants but I believe that Jed was the best choice for the position."
The 28-year-old Jones served as an assistant coach under Evans for the past two seasons at Centenary. He will be the head coach of both the Ladies and Gents soccer teams.
"I am very excited to be selected as the head coach of such a tradition-rich program," Jones said. "It's a great time to be a part of the Centenary family. The future of our soccer program looks bright because of the 18 years of dedication and hard work of Coach Glenn Evans. I will always be grateful to Coach Evans for giving me the opportunity to coach here at Centenary. I look to continue building an excellent program upon a foundation that was started by Coach Evans."
A native of Norman, Okla., Jones played professional soccer for the Oklahoma City Slicker of the USISL from 1992 to 1994. Prior to that, he played with the Oklahoma City Spirit, a semi-professional team, for two years. Jones helped lead the Spirit to the Lone Star Soccer Alliance Championship in 1989.
Jones played collegiate soccer at Oklahoma City University, where he served as a co-captain for the Chiefs for four years. He helped OCU reach the NAIA District 9 finals three consecutive seasons. As a sophomore in 1987, he led the Chiefs in scoring. Jones graduated from OCU in 1994 with a bachelor of science degree in education.
Jones came to Centenary after serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 1993 to 1994. Prior to his stint at OCU, he was an assistant coach at Norman High School. Jones has been the head coach of many club teams and has been an instructor at numerous soccer camps. He also holds a United States Soccer Federation "B" Coaching License as well as the International Coaching License of the Football Association of Ireland.
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