Road to Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - It all started in 1992 in the city of Sarajevo.

The city, now a part of Bosnia, was under siege for about three years. Amir Hadzic, the Xavier boys' soccer head coach, grew up in Sarajevo until he had to flee to America.

Those who inhabited Sarajevo during the war were living in fear. Hadzic said of the 300,000 in Sarajevo, about 10,000 people died and 40,000 were wounded.

Hadzic decided the best thing for him was to start a new life away from war. This decision was difficult, leaving his parents and older brother behind.

The journey from brutality began with the decision to leave. What ensued was an incredible flight.

'The only way out was through a tunnel that people built underneath the airport, which was occupied by the United Nations forces,” Hadzic said. 'This tunnel was a half mile long, very low and narrow, and there was mud up to my ankles the entire way. We walked in complete darkness, and then we had guides who took us to the top of the nearby mountain where buses waited for us to take us to safety.”

Hadzic stayed in a refugee camp in Pula, Croatia, for eight months. He later applied to a U.S. sponsored program for Bosnian refugees. As a result, he went through several interviews that were held in the U.S. Embassy in Croatia. Once the interviews ended, he was able to obtain the necessary paperwork to come to the U.S.

Something beautiful came out of Hadzic's situation. He met his future wife, Amy Weismann, in the Croatian refugee camp. They got married in 2001 and have a 4-year-old daughter named Hanna.

'She (Hanna) is the most wonderful little person who brightens our lives every day,” Hadzic said.

Hadzic has played soccer most of his life, and it became an escape from the hardships his city was going through.

'I could play all the time and never get tired of it,” Hadzic said. 'We even played during the war and risked our lives in the process. I guess we truly played for the love of the game.”

He said his role model is his father.

'I learned many things from him, including how to treat all people with respect, kindness and compassion,” Hadzic said. 'How to do things with integrity, and how to deal with good and bad things that life throws at you.”

Besides being the boys' head coach, Hadzic also is Mount Mercy University's men's soccer coach. He manages to coach both teams and work a full-time job at Mount Mercy as the Assistant Director of International Programs and Student Services.

The first day Hadzic stayed in Iowa with his wife's family, he received The Gazette and noticed the Mustangs were advertising a soccer coaching position.

'I didn't have a resume or cover letter ready at that time, but I had my scrapbook with all the hand notes, pictures and newspaper articles from my playing career,” Hadzic said.

He was offered the job.

Hadzic has led Xavier to three state championships.

Sophomore Jacob Lacy has known Hadzic all his life. His older brother, Aaron, also played for Hadzic while he was at Xavier and was recruited to play soccer for Mount Mercy.

'He teaches us to do the right thing and to try and be a better player and person,” Lacy said. 'He is kind, respectable and a person someone could look up to.”

Hadzic reached a milestone in his coaching career with Xavier. He picked up his 100th win on April 26 when Xavier went 2-0 at the Iowa City Regina tournament.