2012 Track Medie Guide (pdf file) - Texas A&M Kingsville

Kenneth Oliver has
diverse experience in college
athletics and higher
education. Over the past
19 years, Oliver has served
as an assistant coach, head
coach, associate professor,
director of student-athlete
retention, dean of students
and enrollment, vice-president
for campus life and
director of athletics. He is
in his third year as Director
of Athletics for Texas A&M-
Kingsville.
In his first year as the
Director of Javelina Athletics
the department had a
combined overall winning record of 107-88 with three teams appearing
in the top 25, won two (2) NCAA Community Engagement Awards,
won the Lone Star Conference SAAC Cup Award, completed over sixty
(60) community service and engagement projects, forty (40) percent
of the student-athletes had a grade point average of 3.0 or higher,
finished forty-two (42) positions higher in the NACDA cup standings
than in 2009, created three new positions; a head women’s golf coach,
a full-time assistant track and field coach (as a part of receiving a NCAA
matching coaching enhancement grant) and a full-time strength and
conditioning coach and created a new graduate assistant program. He
has increased the marketing efforts by creating a new weekly sixty (60)
minute Saturday Morning Javelina Sports Show, new Javelina Athletic
Billboards and implementing season tickets for the men’s and women’s
basketball programs. He has also increased the total number of athletic
scholarships with a focus on female scholarships, reinstated the indoor
track and field program, increased the Javelina Club scholarship donations
by restructuring the Javelina Club membership levels, increased
the total corporate sponsorships dollars to an all-time highly totally over
$550,000 and signed two corporate sponsorship agreements that total
over $500,000 facility improvements.
In his second year, Oliver once again guided the department to
winning the LSC’s Best Community Engagement Award and LSC SAAC
Cup. The department completed over sixty (60) community service and
engagement projects, forty (40) percent of the student-athletes had a
grade point average of 3.0 or higher with an department average of 2.7
and finished sixty-two (62) positions higher in the NACDA cup standings
than in 2010. He hired the school’s first women’s tennis coach and
full-time assistant softball coach. He oversaw a pair of top 10 nationally
ranked programs and three teams ranked nationally. He’s led the
athletic department to an all-time high in dollars raised totaling over
$575,000 through corporate sponsors and Javelina Club members for
the second straight consecutive year. He signed a multi-year radio deal
with EXA 95.1 that will expand the Javelin Radio Network into the Rio
Grande Valley and launch the new www.javelinaathletics.com web-site.
Under his leadership multiple athletic facilities projects are in the process
of being completed.
During his tenure at Central Methodist University he made a big
impact on Eagle Athletics. He led the “Campaign for Eagle Athletics,” a
$5.2 million enhancement project to improve all of the CMU athletic
facilities. He increased athletic scholarships, created the Champions
of Character Player’s Council, hired a Champions of Character Coach,
implemented a Drug Education, Prevention and Testing Program, hired a
full-time sports information director, hired a full-time certified strength
and conditioning coach, added men’s and women’s golf, increased the
number of coaches in each of the athletic programs and increased the
marketing efforts for Eagle Athletics. In addition, he led the CMU Ath-
letic Department to its first ever Heart of America Athletic Conference
Sportsman Trophy in 2007-08. Every athletic program finished higher
in the conference in 2007-08 than in the previous year and during the
2008-09 year 10 out of 15 athletic programs finished in the top half of
the conference and seven finished in the top 3 in the conference. In
addition, the overall grade point averages of both the men and women
athletes increased each year.
Oliver began his professional tenure at CMU in January 1999, when
he accepted the position of recruiting coordinator, assistant football/
track coach and instructor of physical education. Through his tenure at
CMU, Oliver was honored for his work ethic and loyalty to Central. From
2001-05 he held the position of Dean of Students while still coaching
for the Eagle football team. On July 1, 2005, Oliver was promoted to
Vice-President of Campus Life with direct responsibility for admissions/
enrollment, student affairs and athletics. In addition to being the Vice-
President of Campus Life/Dean of Students, he also held the position of
Director of Athletics. His leadership in retention and enrollment efforts
helped CMU have the largest enrollment in school history for four consecutive
years. He also served on the National Administrative Council of
the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
During Oliver’s coaching career, he coached seven (7) different
All-Americans and eight (8) Academic All-Americans. His football special
teams and defensive units hold a number of CMU and NAIA records. His
2004 defensive unit is one of the best in CMU history and was nationally
rated as one of the best defenses in 2004. That defensive unit had four
All-Americans, led the nation in interceptions (33), takeaways (49) and
turnover margin (+2.5 a game), was fourth in the nation for punt returns
(14.6 yards per return) and set numerous school records. In 2003, the
Heart of America Athletic Conference selected Oliver to serve as the
defensive coordinator in the Heartland Classic Bowl Game in which the
team from the HAAC defeated the team from the Great Plains Athletic
Conference, 34-0. His 1999 special teams unit lead the nation in kickoff
return average, set the NAIA return yardage record and produced an
NAIA All-American. His 2000 and 2002 women’s golf teams finished
fourth in the NAIA region V, which is the best in CMU history.
Prior to CMU, Oliver was the assistant head football coach/defensive
coordinator, head track coach and director of student-athlete
retention at William Penn University. He also coached at Fort Scott
Community College where he was the defensive/recruiting coordinator,
assistant softball coach and the Director of the Greyhound Booster Club.
At Northwest Missouri State University he was the running backs coach
and the on-campus recruiting coordinator.
Oliver has been an administrator of over twenty-five (25) conference
and playoff tournaments at the NJCAA, NAIA and NCAA levels.
Oliver has worked to strengthen the Javelinas’ identity, building
a greater connection with the community of Kingsville. The athletic
department is committed to continue the community engagement and
service projects not only in Kingsville but in South Texas. In addition,
he is a proud member of Lions Club, and is a board member of Keep
Kingsville Beautiful, Navy League, Rotary, Boys and Girls Club, L.E. Ramey
Golf Course and the Cactus Bowl. His wife (Michelle) is a member
of the Navy League and is a board member of the Kleberg County Child
Welfare Board. He and his wife reside in Kingsville with their son, Brady
(4).
2011 2012 Javelina Softball Track Media & FieldGuide
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