Mineral Area Throw’s Coach, Jim Akins has spent the better part of the last 35 years involved with the sport of Track & Field.  In addition to being a track & field athlete in high school, Coach Akins was part of the inaugural North County Raider cross country team back in the fall of 1989, narrowly missing qualifying for the state championships in his first season. Coach Akins then went on to Southeast Missouri State, where he became an NCAA Division I All-Conference athlete in the javelin.

In his post collegiate life, Coach Akins has spent countless years continuing to bike, run and race regularly in both triathlons, marathons and road races. Additionally he has spent many years coaching cross country and track at the high school, middle school and collegiate level.  Coach Akins has been married to his wife Maria since 2005, and has two children, a daughter(Sara) and a son (Josh).