Image
Athletic Points of Pride
Kent State's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has received institutional awards including the Jacoby Trophy, Institutional Academic Achievement Award and Men's FAR Academic Achievement Award.
67 Athletes Maintain a Perfect 4.0 GPA
Successful Alumni, a Hallmark of Kent State Athletics
11X Jacoby Trophy Winner (2022)
- 8 men's teams: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track and field, outdoor track & field and wrestling
- 11 women's teams: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, indoor track and field, outdoor track & field and volleyball
- Kent State currently supports 19 Division I intercollegiate teams competing within the Mid-American Conference
- There are 450+ student athletes
- Many individual, team and academic awards have been earned throughout the years - and continue to be earned.
- First athletics played in 1914: baseball
- Dix Stadium opened in 1969 and seats 25,319
- 5XÉçÇø’s school colors are blue and gold
- The mission of Kent State Athletics is to graduate student-athletes, boldly prepared for life after sport and win championships
- You can show your Kent State spirit year-round or seasonally, whether you live near or far with:
Kent State takes great pride in its Golden Flashes, who go on to successful careers in wide-ranging fields from business to healthcare to professional and collegiate athletics. Some of the KSU Athletics alumni who have excelled at the next levels of their sport: Thurman Munson (baseball); Antonio Gates (basketball); Nick Saban, Lou Holtz, Jack Lambert, James Harrison, Josh Cribbs, and Julian Edelman (football); Ben Curtis, Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners (golf); Jenna Hellstrom (soccer); Madison Thompson (field hockey); Jennifer Ha and Karoline Stormo (golf); Hall of Fame coaches such as Judy Devine (field hockey) and Herb Page (golf); and many Olympians such as Danniel Thomas-Dodd (shot put), Kim Kreiner (javelin), Betty-Jean Maycock (gymnastics), Gerald Tinker (Gold medalist, track), and Holly Speers (softball).
| Sport | Name | Notability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in as a | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball, currently for the as a | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player, manager, and scout in | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball with the , , and winner | ||
| Baseball | Former professional baseball third-baseman in 1961-1970. 1962 All-Star. | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in as a pitcher, winner of the , sportscaster | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player, head coach for the from 2005–2013, current head baseball coach at Georgia | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in as a pitcher, 1994-2001 | ||
| Baseball | Professional baseball player in as a pitcher | ||
| Basketball | Professional player in the and | ||
| Basketball | 2008 Men's Basketball Player of the Year | ||
| Basketball | Professional football player in the NFL as a , played basketball for Kent State | ||
| Basketball | Professional basketball player in the , 1996–2012; member of the from 2005–12; Canton Charge head coach | ||
| Basketball | Professional basketball player in the , 1982-1983 | ||
| Field Hockey | Judy Devine | Former Field Hockey Coach and Senior Associate Athletic Director | |
| Field Hockey | Madison Thompson | Professional field hockey player on Canadian Indoor National team | |
| Football | Professional player with the of the 1966-1968 | ||
| Football | Professional player in the | ||
| Football | Professional player in the 1976-1984 | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the as a , member of , former | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL and the | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL; Super Bowl LIII MVP | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Former professional player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL as a | ||
| Football | coach, television sportscaster | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL as a linebacker and a member of the | ||
| Football | Assistant coach in the NFL, University of Michigan | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL, 1989-1997 | ||
| Football | Assistant coach in the National Football League | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL, 1957-1965 | ||
| Football | Former head football coach at University of Missouri and University of Toledo | ||
| Football | and NFL head coach, six-time national championship winner | ||
| Football | (Larry Faulk) | Professional football player in the NFL, 1976-1983 | |
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL, 1997-2006 | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the CFL, 1975-1984 | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL, 1990-1995 | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL | ||
| Football | Professional football player in the NFL for the | ||
| Golf | Professional golfer, 2003 champion | ||
| Golf | Canadian professional golfer | ||
| Golf | Head women's golf coach at the University of Michigan, Canadian former professional golfer | ||
| Golf | Jennifer Ha | Professional golfer | |
| Golf | Professional golfer in the | ||
| Golf | Canadian professional golfer | ||
| Golf | Karoline Stormo | Professional golfer | |
| Golf | Canadian professional golfer | ||
| Gymnastics | U.S. Olympian in 1960 | ||
| Ice Hockey | Professional player in the 1995-2001 | ||
| Track and field | Member of gold-medal 4 x 100 meter relay team in ; professional football player in the NFL, 1974-1975 | ||
| Softball | pitcher | ||
| Track and field | Bronze medalist at the (200m) | ||
| Baseball | Travis Shaw | Professional baseball player in MLB | |
| Baseball | Andrew Chafin | Professional baseball player in MLB | |
| Basketball | Doug Sims | Professional basketball player in NBA | |
| Football | Dri Archer | Former professional football player in NFL | |
| Football | Roosevelt Nix | Professional football player in NFL | |
| Golf | Corey Conners | Professional golfer in the PGA Tour | |
| Golf | Herb Page | Former KSU Head Golf Coach, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Mid-American Conference (MAC) Hall of Fame | |
| Soccer | Jenna Hellstrom | Member of Canadian national team at 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup | |
| Volleyball | Kelsey Bittinger | Former professional volleyball player in Austria | |
| Basketball | Jordan Korinek | Professional basketball player in Greece and Germany | |
| Wrestling | Dustin Kilgore | Placed third at 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials | |
| Wrestling | Nick Nemeth "Dolph Ziggler" | Wrestling, two-time World Heavyweight Championship | |
| Track & Field | Danniel Thomas-Dodd | Member of Jamaican national team at 2016 Summer Olympics | |
| Track & Field | Kim Kreiner | Two-time U.S. Olympian (2004, 2008) in javelin throw | |
| Track & Field | Jacques Accambray | Member of French national team (hammer throw) at 1972 Summer Olympics | |
| Track & Field | Bruno Cherrier | Member of French national team (200m, 4x100 relay) at 1972 Summer Olympics | |
| Track & Field | Jud Logan | Four-time U.S. Olympian (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000) in hammer throw | |
| Track & Field | Al Schoterman | U.S. Olympian (hammer throw) at 1972 Summer Olympics | |
| Softball | Maddy Grimm | Former professional softball player in NPF | |
| Softball | Pauline Maurice | Member of Canadian national team at 1996 Summer Olympics | |
| Softball | Holly Speers | Professional softball player in NPF; member of Canadian national team |