Story by Gage Johnson
Sports Editor
gjohnson17@murraystate.edu
Six months after Murray State women’s golf Head Coach Velvet Milkman was named the interim athletic director, Kevin Saal was made the ninth athletic director in Murray State history.
Along with this announcement came the decision to make Bob Jackson the University’s new president, and Jackson is excited to have Saal join the Murray State family.
“We are very excited about Kevin, Jennifer and their sons joining our Racer family,” Jackson said. “Kevin has a wealth of experience, is a seasoned athletics administrator and has the necessary integrity, vision, passion and enthusiasm to assist us in taking Racer Athletics to a new, higher level.”
Saal is no stranger to collegiate athletics. It began with a student-athlete career as a swimmer and diver at the University of Arkansas. After earning his B.S. and M.S. at Texas Christian University and the University of Kansas, Saal joined the athletic department at UK in 2007.
Saal worked under UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart during his 12-year tenure as the Kentucky Executive Associate Athletic Director with the Wildcats. Saal is the latest of Barnhart’s assistants to go on to be an athletic director, as others have gone on to be athletic directors at the University of Alabama, University of Florida, Mississippi State University, University of Oregon and the University of Minnesota.
Barnhart appreciates the work Saal put in at UK, and is thrilled for the great things to come for Saal and the Racers.
“Kevin is an amazing, incredibly talented leader with the capacity to make people around him better everyday,” Barnhart said. “I’m thankful for what he’s done here and excited that part of our UK family will stay in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as we watch him grow the program at Murray State.”
Saal describes Murray State as a special place and is excited to help grow the Racer athletic programs.
“From the first time I met with the committee, I felt an instant connection,” Saal said. “The committee sold me on this job. They’re very passionate about Murray, and it’s an incredible opportunity at a prominent and successful Division I program.”
The extensive search for a full-time AD stretched out across the country, with hundreds of candidates being interviewed before deciding upon Saal.
“We started the search process around September,” Jackson said. “We went through a number of different interviews and Kevin rose to the top very quickly. The cause was passion and enthusiasm. This an important job at any university and it’s especially important here.”
Saal has enjoyed countless successes at UK and hopes to translate that to all programs within Murray State Athletics.
“All of our programs, all of our sports, all of our facilities—that piece is important,” Saal said. “Programs aren’t going to sacrifice for other programs. We’re going to slowly and methodically build it so we can raise the tide for everyone at the same time.”