Today, FALL/WINTER 2006 1 - University of the Ozarks

2. When Placek left after the 1998 season, a nationwide searchfor a new soccer coach led to the hiring of De Hart, a native ofthe soccer-rich Central Valley of Northern California who thrivedon turning around underdog programs. De Hart came to Ozarkshaving coached at just about every level, from youth and developmentalteams to professional programs in the United StatesInterregional Soccer League (USISL). His most recent stophad been at Neosha County Community College in Kansas, wherein 1998 he coached both the men’s and women’s teams to theregion finals on his way to earning Region IV Coach of theYear.“I saw great potential at Ozarks from the beginning,” saidDe Hart. “There were some good players in the program, and Iwas excited about being at a small school that was strong inacademics. There was also good support for athletics from theadministration. I also liked the fact that there was no footballprogram here. Soccer could be the king of the campus in thefall.”There were, however, growing pains during De Hart’s firstyear as the team struggled to a 7-9-2 record.“It was quite an adjustment for the players because of thedifferences in coaching style and personalities,” De Hart said.“We were competitive that first year, but we weren’t real sureof each other. It was a little bit rocky at times.”But despite that first season’s road bumps, De Hart wasmore determined than ever to build a winner at Ozarks, and hisplayers quickly followed suit. The Eagles would go on to finishfirst in the ASC East Division the next two seasons. Winningwas starting to become habit.De Hart’s drive, energy and passion for soccer are almostlegendary around the Ozarks campus. To say he lives, breathesand sleeps soccer might be an understatement. He even steppeddown as athletic director of the University after a three-yearstint because it took away from his coaching duties and from hisplayers.“You always hear people say they resign to spend moretime with their family and, in a way, that’s what I’m doing,” DeHart about resigning as AD. “The soccer players are my family,and I’m stepping down to spend more time with them. Coachingis my passion, and this will allow me to spend more timedoing what I really love to do, coaching soccer.”As with most successful college athletic programs, recruitinghas been the cornerstone to the Eagles’ winning ways.Though being an NCAA Division III program doesn’t allowOzarks to offer athletic scholarships, De Hart has brought innumerous deep and talented classes. Most of his players comefrom the soccer hotbeds of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex orthe Tulsa area. As a matter of fact, 24 of the 29 players on the2006 roster came from either Texas or Oklahoma.“There are a lot more good soccer players in Oklahoma,and especially Texas, than there are opportunities for them toplay in college,” said De Hart. “We’ve always had successrecruiting in those areas, and once you get that connection going,it feeds on itself, and you get more and more players fromthose areas. And, it helps when you’re winning. Kids want to bea part of a winning team.”Since arriving at Ozarksin 1999, Dave De Harthas led the men’s soccerprogram to one of the mostsuccessful runs in theschool’s athletic history.Year Overall Record ASC Record ASC Finish2006 14-6-1 10-3-0* (2nd)2005 13-4-5 8-2-3* (3rd)2004 11-9-0 8-5-0* (6th)2003 13-8-1 9-4-1*& (2nd)2002 13-6-1 8-4-0* (2nd)2001 18-3-1 8-1-1* (1st)2000 15-7-0 6-4-0* (1st)1999 7-9-2 3-4-1 -----Totals 104-52-11 60-27-6* Advanced to the ASC Postseason Tournament& Advanced to the NCAA Postseason TournamentDe Hart Notables√ .656 winning percentage at Ozarks√ ASC Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001√ ASC Postseason Tournament appearance, 2000-2006√ Coached 63 All-Conference Players at U of O√ ASC East Division Title in 2000 and 2001√ ASC Tournament champion in 2003√ NCAA Tournament (Final 32) in 2003√ Teams have earned four NSCAA academic awardsDe Hart said he doesn’t shy away from top-notch recruitsand often goes head-to-head with Division I programs for aplayer. One example is former standout Ron Hogsett, who wasoffered a full athletic scholarship to Division I High Point Universityin North Carolina. Hogsett chose Ozarks partly becauseof the University’s strong business program. Current goalkeeperBrian Sarber, a two-time All-ASC selection, turned down anoffer to attend Division I Stetson in Florida to attend Ozarksbecause he liked the University’s business program and becausehe liked the goal-keeping background of De Hart and assistantcoach Trace Hollis, a former Major League Soccer goalie.“When we recruit, we don’t approach like we’re a DivisionIII school, and we’re not supposed to recruit a certainplayer,” De Hart said. “We have a lot to offer at Ozarks, includingstrong academics and a chance to be a part of a successfulprogram. That’s worked well for us. Every year we have sev-Continued on Page 14Today, FALL/WINTER 2006 15