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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)
- Kent State Women's Golf won their 25th straight MAC Championship.
- Flashes sit atop MAC in five year Learfield Cup standings.
- 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
- Kent State University’s school colors are blue and gold
- The university’s school mascot is Flash. The golden eagle has won the hearts of KSU students, faculty and alumni since 1994.
- 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 | Emmanuel Burriss | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a second baseman | |
| Baseball | Chris Carpenter | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball | |
| Baseball | Dain Clay | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball | |
| Baseball | Matt Guerrier | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher | |
| Baseball | Dirk Hayhurst | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball, currently for the Toronto Blue Jays as a pitcher | |
| Baseball | Dustin Hermanson | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher[14] | |
| Baseball | Eric Lauer | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball | |
| Baseball | Gene Michael | Professional baseball player, manager, and scout in Major League Baseball | |
| Baseball | Thurman Munson | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees, Rookie of the Year, and MVP winner | |
| Baseball | Rich Rollins | Former professional baseball third-baseman in Major League Baseball 1961-1970. 1962 All-Star. | |
| Baseball | Andy Sonnanstine | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher | |
| Baseball | Steve Stone | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher, winner of the Cy Young Award, sportscaster | |
| Baseball | Scott Stricklin | Professional baseball player, head coach for the Kent State baseball team from 2005–2013, current head baseball coach at Georgia | |
| Baseball | Jeff Tabaka | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher, 1994-2001 | |
| Baseball | John Van Benschoten | Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher | |
| Basketball | John Edwards | Professional basketball player in the NBA and NBDL | |
| Basketball | Al Fisher | 2008 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year | |
| Basketball | Antonio Gates | Professional football player in the NFL as a tight end, played basketball for Kent State | |
| Basketball | Nate Reinking | Professional basketball player in the British Basketball League, 1996–2012; member of the Great Britain national basketball team from 2005–12; Canton Charge head coach | |
| Basketball | Jim Zoet | Professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, 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 | Willie Asbury | Professional football player with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League 1966-1968 | |
| Football | Eugene Baker | Professional football player in the National Football League | |
| Football | Cedric Brown | Professional football player in the National Football League 1976-1984 | |
| Football | Jim Corrigall | Professional football player in the Canadian Football League as a defensive end, member of Canadian Football Hall of Fame, former KSU head football coach | |
| Football | Joshua Cribbs | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Jose Davis | Professional football player in the NFL and the Arena Football League | |
| Football | Julian Edelman | Professional football player in the NFL; Super Bowl LIII MVP | |
| Football | Abram Elam | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Bob Hallen | Former professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | James Harrison | Professional football player in the NFL as a linebacker | |
| Football | Lou Holtz | College football coach, television sportscaster | |
| Football | Van Jakes | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Ishmaa'ily Kitchen | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Jack Lambert | Professional football player in the NFL as a linebacker and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| Football | Ben McDaniels | Assistant coach in the NFL, University of Michigan | |
| Football | Mike "Scooter" McGruder | Professional football player in the NFL, 1989-1997 | |
| Football | John Matsko | Assistant coach in the National Football League | |
| Football | Daniel Muir | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Rico Murray | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Don Nottingham | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Luke Owens | Professional football player in the NFL, 1957-1965 | |
| Football | Gary Pinkel | Former head football coach at University of Missouri and University of Toledo | |
| Football | Nick Saban | College football and NFL head coach, six-time national championship winner | |
| Football | Abdul Salaam (Larry Faulk) | Professional football player in the NFL, 1976-1983 | |
| Football | O. J. Santiago | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Ken Walter | Professional football player in the NFL, 1997-2006 | |
| Football | Henry Waszczuk | Professional football player in the CFL, 1975-1984 | |
| Football | Bert Weidner | Professional football player in the NFL, 1990-1995 | |
| Football | Brian Winters | Professional football player in the NFL | |
| Football | Usama Young | Professional football player in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns | |
| Golf | Ben Curtis | Professional golfer, 2003 British Open champion | |
| Golf | Bryan DeCorso | Canadian professional golfer | |
| Golf | Jan Dowling | Head women's golf coach at the University of Michigan, Canadian former professional golfer | |
| Golf | Jennifer Ha | Professional golfer | |
| Golf | Mackenzie Hughes | Professional golfer in the PGA Tour | |
| Golf | Jon Mills | Canadian professional golfer | |
| Golf | Karoline Stormo | Professional golfer | |
| Golf | Ryan Yip | Canadian professional golfer | |
| Gymnastics | Betty-Jean Maycock | U.S. Olympian gymnast in 1960 | |
| Ice Hockey | Dean Sylvester | Professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League 1995-2001 | |
| Track and field | Gerald Tinker | Member of gold-medal 4 x 100 meter relay team in 1972 Summer Olympics; professional football player in the NFL, 1974-1975 | |
| Softball | Emma Johnson | National Pro Fastpitch pitcher | |
| Track and field | Thomas Jefferson | Bronze medalist at the 1984 Summer Olympics (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 |