Biography

James Williamson recently completed his first season as head coach of NNU men's soccer in the fall of 2023.

Williamson was named the ninth head coach in NNU men’s soccer history in the spring of 2023. He was no stranger to Nampa, spending two seasons as an assistant coach for the NNU women’s soccer team from 2017-18 before his return to the Nighthawks after stints with the men’s teams at Corban University and Gonzaga University.

During the 2023 season, Williamson led the Nighthawks to a third-place finish in the GNAC. Seven players earned All-GNAC honors, with two on the first team, two on the second team, and three honorable mention. Freshman forward Jim Wagenaar was also named All-Region by the D2CCA. 

Williamson spent the previous three years with Gonzaga’s men’s program, including the final two as the top assistant. In 2021, he helped lead the Bulldogs to one of Division I’s best single-season turnarounds with a seven-win improvement over the prior year. He also spearheaded the identification and recruitment of the nation’s 28th-ranked recruiting class according to TopDrawerSoccer. Over the course of his time at Gonzaga, he assisted in producing 5 All-West Coast Conference selections.

Prior to GU, Williamson spent the 2019 season at his alma mater Corban University as the associate head coach, helping the squad to the program's best ever single season record (17-0-3) before falling in penalties in the national tournament. It also marked the school's first-ever undefeated campaign in conference play.

Prior to his time at Corban, Williamson spent 2017-18 at NNU with the women's soccer team. During his two years as the assistant coach with the Nighthawks, the team captured the two best seasons up to that point in program history, made the program's first ever appearance in the GNAC tournament, and set program best records of wins (11) and shutouts (10) in a single season.

Williamson also coached one season at North Idaho College in 2016 as an assistant with the men's soccer team.

He graduated from Corban with a Bachelor’s degree in exercise science and minor in Biblical Studies. As a student-athlete, he was an All-Cascade Conference player on the school's conference championship and NAIA national qualifying teams. 

He then earned his Master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University-Irvine in 2019.

Originally from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Williamson is happily married to wife Hannah and they have two daughters, Kai and Tenley. In his spare time, he enjoys taking advantage of the amenities the Northwest has to offer, including mountain biking, skiing, climbing, and fly-fishing.

Year-by-Year

Year

Overall

Pct.

GNAC

Pct.

Postseason

1 Season

5-7-6

.444

3-4-5

.458

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2023

5-7-6

.444

3-4-5

.458

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