AIB College of Business has hired Hall of Fame player Kim Wright Jones to lead the development of its new softball program.
“There are a lot of positive things happening at AIB and I believe it is a good time to be a part of the excitement,” Jones said. “Coaching softball provides meaningful opportunities to work with young people and to enhance their overall experience at AIB. I want to make a difference, and I am honored and excited about the opportunity.”
Jones has been head softball coach at Urbandale High School, her alma mater, since 2010. At Urbandale, she was a three-time First-Team All-State Pitcher and was a member of the 1976 and 1977 State Championship teams.
Upon graduation from Urbandale, Jones was awarded a full softball scholarship to Arizona State University, where she was a three-year letter winner and a player on the 1978 College World Series team.
Jones is a member of the Iowa High School Athletic Union Softball Hall of Fame and was named as a pitcher to the Iowa Girls All-Decade Softball Team (1970-1980). A recipient of the Jack North Softball Award for the top high school player in the state, Jones is a member of the still-current state record-setting softball team that went 68-0 and was selected by the Des Moines Register as one of the Great Iowa teams of all time.
“We are thrilled about the addition of Coach Kim Jones to our staff at AIB,” said Director of Athletics Keith Coleman. “We are starting a solid footing for our softball program, and Kim is the foundation on which everything else will be built. She has a proven track record for getting young adults to work hard and never quit. I personally like her enthusiasm and the energy she brings every day. She has a true commitment to academics and performance of her players in the classroom.”
AIB has a strong tradition of athletics. From 1929 to 1952, its powerhouse women’s basketball team was known nationwide. The college reinstated its women’s basketball program in 2007 and since has added men’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s golf and soccer, competitive dance and cheerleading. Softball and baseball teams will take the field in spring 2014.
AIB is an associate member of the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
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