NATCHITOCHES - Northwestern State soccer head coach Jimmy Mitchell has announced the hiring of Darren Back as assistant coach for the Lady Demon soccer program.

His appointment is subject to approval of the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana system.

Back, a native of England, replaces Miranda Hill who took a similar position at Mississippi State earlier this year.

He comes to NSU with 10 years of coaching experience and nine years of playing experience - two college and seven in semi-pro action.

At Northwestern State, Back's duties will include being the Lady Demons' recruiting coordinator as a well as the goalkeeper's coach.

"Darren is a great addition to our program," said Mitchell, who will be starting his 12^th season at NSU.  "His ability to recognize and develop talent is superior.  After having only a short time to work with our players since his arrival, I know they are as excited as I am about having Darren in our program.

"We are bringing in 13 freshmen this year and Darren will be a vital part of developing these players to championship form over their careers."

Before arriving on campus, Back coached for a season at Lenoir-Rhyne University of the South Atlantic Conference and helped guide the team to an 8-6-4 record.  He also coached two all-region, three all-conference, and two NCAA All-Southeast Region players.

Prior to his stint at Lenoir-Rhyne, he was the assistant director of coaching at the Catawba Valley Youth Soccer Association for a year and was the North Carolina Olympic Development Program assistant coach during that same time.  His coaching stops also placed him as a head coach for the Elite Soccer Academy and Golden Touch Soccer Academy.

As a player, he participated in professional tournaments including the F.A. Youth Cup, F.A. Cup and F.A. Vase. 

Back joined the Lenoir-Rhyne men's soccer program as a junior transfer from Derby University in 2006.  He played two seasons as a midfielder and helped anchor the midfield during the Bears' historic 2006 season where they finished with a school record 19-1-1 mark. For his career, he scored six total goals with three of them going in as game-winners.  He was named the team's co-captain as a senior in 2007.

In 2006, he helped lead the team to a South Atlantic Conference championship and to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament where they lost 5-3 on penalty kicks to Lincoln Memorial.

A graduate of the University of Derby in England with a bachelor's degree in sports science in 2005, Back earned his master's degree from Lenoir-Rhyne in business administration in May 2008.