Darren Back returns to NSU for the second year with 11 years of coaching experience and nine years of playing experience (two college and seven in semi-pro action).
At Northwestern State, Back’s duties include being the Lady Demons’ recruiting coordinator as well as the goalkeeper’s caoach.
In his first season Back helped the Lady Demons to an 8 win season while coaching two Southland All-Conference selections (Rachel O’Steen and Sarah Sadler) and helped Jessica Danku to a Goalkeeper of the Week award in 2010.
Danku, a true freshman at the time, started in 17 of 20 games with a saves percentage of .766 with a record of 7-7 with three shutouts and contributed to three other shutouts.
Before arriving on campus, Back coached for a season at Lenior-Rhyne University of the South Atlantic Conference and helped guide the team to an 8-6-4 record. He 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 at that same time. His coaching stops also placed him as 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. Back is married to the former Kristy May of Long Beach, California.
