Kevin Anderson, Director of Athletics

Director of Athletics
Kevin Anderson

Since Kevin Anderson was introduced as Army’s Director of Athletics on Dec. 13, 2004, West Point’s intercollegiate athletic program has enjoyed immense success both on and off the “fields of friendly strife.”

Boasting more than two decades of leadership and experience, Anderson departed his post as executive associate athletic director at Oregon State University to accept the challenge of re-invigorating Army’s proud athletic program.

The veteran administrator has played a large role in accomplishing that goal during his five years along the banks of the Hudson. In that time, Army has sent 20 intercollegiate athletic teams to the NCAAs, captured its first National Championship in more than 50 years, witnessed the revitalization of its hockey and men’s basketball programs, and experienced unparalleled success in several others, such as baseball, women’s volleyball, women’s tennis and women’s basketball. This past fall, Army’s women’s volleyball team became West Point’s 10th different intercollegiate program to advance to the NCAAs under Anderson’s watch, while the baseball team reached a regional final for the first time in school history last spring.

During the 2004-05 academic year, Anderson’s first at West Point, Army’s athletic program won a National Championship in rifle, sent a record seven teams to postseason appearances, defeated Navy in the year-long series for the first time since 1978 and forged an overall winning percentage of .582. It marked Army’s finest overall performance in more than a decade.

Seventeen of Army’s 25 intercollegiate teams carved records of .500 or better that year as the Black Knights put forth their highest year-long winning percentage since a .604 effort in 1993-94. In addition, Army reclaimed the Patriot League’s Presidents’ Cup—signifying the league’s all-sports champion—for the first time since 1997.

Army sent its rifle, gymnastics, baseball, lacrosse, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and golf squads to postseason play, surpassing the previous standard of six teams in NCAA action. Six of Army’s eight spring teams won Patriot League titles that year.

Army’s success opposite Navy snapped a 27-year drought in the all-sports rivalry, giving the Black Knights their first series win over Navy since going 9-8-1 (.528) in 1977-78.

Additionally, four Army teams earned NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005-06, highlighted by the women’s basketball team, which earned its first postseason berth at the Division I level. In 2006-07, Anderson presided over a resurgence of Army’s men’s basketball and hockey programs, as well as the continued success of the Black Knights’ women’s basketball squad, which set a single season school record for victories at the Division I level.

All three programs flourished again the following year with hockey earning its first Atlantic Hockey Association regular-season crown and the men’s basketball squad advancing in the Patriot League postseason for the second straight year, a first since 1995 and 1996. Additionally, a young Black Knights’ baseball team captured its third regular season Patriot League championship in five years and Army’s women’s tennis team earned its fourth consecutive conference championship and accompanying NCAA berth.

Three Army teams traveled to the NCAAs last season, headlined by the women’s soccer and baseball squads. The Black Knights’ baseball team gained national attention by reaching the finals of the Austin Regional and nearly upsetting national top seed and NCAA runnerup Texas in a “championship” game. Women’s soccer, meanwhile, made its first trip.

Off the field, construction of the Foley Athletic Center, a spacious indoor practice facility for football, was completed in the winter of 2007. During Anderson’s time at West Point, Randall Hall, which houses offices, locker rooms and team rooms for men’s and women’s basketball, as well as luxury suites that overlook historic Michie Stadium, was also unveiled. Army’s fabled football home received additional state-of-the-art amenities with the installation of a new FieldTurf playing surface and a sparkling 30-foot-by-50-foot scoreboard, complete with a 20-foot-by-50-foot high-definition video board.

In the last year alone, Anderson led the searches that resulted in the hiring of Rich Ellerson as Army’s 36th head football coach, Zach Spiker as the Black Knights’ 30th men’s basketball mentor and Russell Payne as Army’s 11th men’s soccer field boss. In Ellerson’s first season, Army fell one win shy of earning its first postseason bowl bid in 13 years last fall.

Anderson was also instrumental in negotiating a broadcast extension with CBS Sports to televise the Army-Navy football game through 2018, a new national television deal with CBS College Sports Network for Army’s football program, separate contracts with three different cities to serve as host for future Army-Navy games, and a landmark agreement with the New York Yankees that will result in Army’s football team playing one game in each of the next six seasons at Yankee Stadium. As part of the deal, Army will battle Notre Dame later this fall in the first college football game to be played at the Yankees’ majestic new home. In the last year alone, Anderson has secured postseason bowl tie-ins for Army’s football team for each of the next four years.

Prior to his most recent hectic stretch, Anderson brokered major broadcast agreements for Army’s football program with ESPN and WABC Radio (770-AM), as well as aligning the Black Knights’ athletics teams with Nike, as part of a significant apparel deal, and Learfield Sports Properties. The Army “A” Club has continued to flourish under Anderson’s leadership, establishing school records for annual giving during each of his five years at the Academy.

During his time at Oregon State, Anderson directed the athletic department’s external operations, to include marketing and promotions, sports information, ticket operations and the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. He also oversaw Oregon State’s highly successful football, men’s basketball and baseball programs, leading the search and recruitment for head football coach Mike Riley.

Anderson, who ranks as the first African-American to hold the position of director of athletics at West Point, was a member of an OSU management staff that balanced the athletic department’s budget for the first time in nearly 15 years.

Anderson took residence in Corvallis, Ore., in December 2002 after serving as executive associate athletic director for external affairs at the University of California. He joined the California staff in November 1997 as assistant athletic director for annual programs and was promoted to associate athletic director for development, tickets and the Bears’ baseball team in March 1999.

Before accepting his position with the Golden Bears, Anderson served as area executive director of the YMCA of the East Bay from 1995 to 1997. He was director of annual giving with Stanford University’s athletic department from 1993 to 1995.

Anderson graduated from San Francisco State University in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He is also a 1981 graduate of the Xerox Corporation’s New Manager School and the Xerox Marketing School in 1986. He completed the executive management program at the Sports Management Institute in 1995.

In addition to his duties at West Point, Anderson has served as chairman for the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division I-A Athletic Directors McClendon Minority Scholarship Steering Committee and is a member of the NCAA’s Basketball Academic Enhancement Group. He also serves as chairman of the Division I Men’s Basketball Issues Committee and was elected Third Vice President of NACDA this past June.

Kevin and his wife, Moira, have four children: daughters, Olivia and Michaela; and sons, Kevin Jr. and Chauncey.

Army West Point Athletics

Kevin Anderson, Director of Athletics

Related News

Related Videos