Jack Mathis begins his fourth season on the NIU men’s soccer staff in 2020, his third as a full-time assistant after beginning as a volunteer in 2017. Mathis came to DeKalb following a year as a graduate assistant at Stevenson University under current NIU assistant coach Andrew Bordelon.
Working alongside head coach Ryan Swan, Mathis has helped breathed new life into the Huskie program. In 2019, the Huskies retained the Lewang Trophy with a victory over Milwaukee and recorded the program’s first-ever win at West Virginia. NIU had four players earn All-MAC honors, its most since 2011, as Anthony Markanich, Nick Markanich and Alex Welch were named to the all-league first team while Jan Maertins claimed Second Team All-MAC.
Off the field, Maertins was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team, becoming just the sixth Academic All-American in program history, and he was one of five Huskies to earn Academic All-MAC recognition.
In 2018, NIU won eight matches, the most for the program in seven years, including a victory over MAC rival Akron, who would go on to compete in the College Cup Final. The 2018 Huskies appeared in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 for two weeks and Kevin Rodriguez made history, becoming the first NIU player selected in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, as he was taken by Minnesota United FC.
Rodriguez was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Third Team, NIU’s first all-region selection in three seasons, and claimed All-MAC First Team honors as well. Nick Markanich claimed the MAC Freshman of the Year award after scoring eight goals, the most by a Huskie since 2006, while Anthony Markanich and Jan Maertins were named to the All-MAC Second Team. Off the field, NIU had six Academic All-MAC honorees and two Academic All-District selections.
In his first season with the Huskies in 2017, NIU began a rebuilding process that was highlighted by a season-opening, overtime victory over DePaul and a win over 10th-ranked Omaha, NIU’s first victory over a top-10 foe since 2008. Six Huskies earned Academic All-MAC honors and goalkeeper Drew Donnally earned the MAC Medal of Excellence.
During the summer of 2016, before joining Bordelon at Stevenson, Mathis worked as an assistant coach for the Saint Louis FC U-23 team in the Premier Development League (PDL). Mathis began his coaching career working as a club training and camp coach for Saint Louis Scott Gallagher, the leading youth club in St. Louis, Mo.
As a player, the native of Wildwood, Mo., played professionally for Saint Louis FC of the United Soccer League in 2015 following an outstanding four-year career for NIU head coach Ryan Swan at Drury University. At Drury, Mathis was a four-time All-GLVC selection and a three-time All-NSCAA Midwest Regional honoree. He scored 17 goals, including nine game-winners, in 74 career starts for the Panthers and was named Drury’s Most Outstanding Male Senior Student-Athlete in 2014-15.
Mathis earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Drury in 2015 while double-majoring in business management and marketing.
