MEET KEVIN SAAL

Wichita State’s new AD shares more than a love of sports with the school’s student athletes. He’s a student himself at age 44 — working on a doctorate degree in P-20 and community education.

“I just felt like our students need to see someone committed to education,” said Kevin Saal, who started his doctoral studies while serving as the AD at Murray State.

Saal comes from a background in academics and athletics. His father, Frank “Skip” Saal, was a psychology professor and department head at Kansas State University before finishing his career as provost at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York. His mother, Catherine, was an educator as well.

An older sister inspired Saal to try out for the diving team as a freshman at Manhattan High. The team went on to win two state team championships during Saal’s time there.

“I was a little bit of an adrenaline and adventure junkie,” he said.

Saal spent a year diving at the University of Arkansas for the chance to compete in the Southeastern Conference, then earned a scholarship at Texas Christian University. After graduation he headed to the University of Kansas to earn a master’s degree in sports psychology — only to discover that the school was

dropping the program.

Saal got a master’s degree in sports administration instead. He worked at K-State from 2000 to 2005, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2005–2007, then spent 12 years at the University of Kentucky, rising to executive associate director of athletics. He became AD at Murray State in 2019. During his time

there, he oversaw the school’s move to the Missouri Valley Conference after it had spent 74 years in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The whirlwind of athletic conference realignments is one of several challenges he’ll confront at WSU. The Shockers jumped from the Valley to the more prestigious American Athletic Conference four years ago, and to some extent have succeeded on the court and field, winning a half-dozen conference championships since (in men’s basketball, softball, volleyball, women’s cross country and men’s track and field).

But the school’s highest-profile team — men’s basketball — slipped last year, and three of the AAC’s most successful programs — Houston, Cincinnati and UCF — are leaving for the Big 12.

They will be replaced by Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA.

Saal said the new-look AAC remains a “very competitive league,” enough so to earn more than the one automatic NCAA tournament bid each conference is awarded.

“I think it can be and will be a multi-bid league in nearly all our sports,” he said.

The basketball team’s slide was followed by a mass transfer of players and the firing of Saal’s predecessor, Darron Boatright, amid complaints that WSU had not moved quickly enough into the NCAA’s new era of “name, image and likeness” (NIL) deals, which allow college athletes to profit from their status — for instance, by endorsing products on billboards or in TV commercials.

Saal, who sat down with SPLURGE! magazine six days into his job, said he had already met with the owners of Armchair Strategies, a company formed to help WSU athletes land NIL deals. “I can tell you we’re in a better spot than 10 days ago,” he said.

Making sure WSU stays competitive with other AAC teams in terms of athletic facilities and opportunities may be his biggest ongoing job — one known as “friendraising and fundraising” in the business.

“It starts with genuine and authentic relationships” with potential donors, he said.

After selling the success of the school’s athletic teams, he plans to stress how WSU prepares student athletes for life beyond school. Yet another goal is bringing “stability and consistency” to a program that some fans have viewed with skepticism since former basketball coach Gregg Marshall’s ousting two years ago.

Saal sums up his approach with a phrase associated with legendary former K-State football coach Bill Snyder: “Get a little better every day.”

But don’t assume he’ll be satisfied with effort alone.

“Everything with us starts with winning AAC championships,” Saal said.

Former colleagues and bosses praised Saal’s work ethic. Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart cited his “incredible focus on education and a competitive spirit.”

Saal spent his first days on the job meeting with WSU President Rick Muma, then began working his way through 15-minute get-acquainted meetings with each of the athletic department’s 100 employees. He asked each about a challenge facing them and possible solutions.

He’s joined in Wichita by his wife of 23 years, Jennifer, who he met while working at a swimming pool in Manhattan. “She’s a five- to seven-mile-a-day runner. Thus, she keeps me very active,” said Saal, who also enjoys hiking, hunting and fishing.

Their two sons have stayed behind in Murray, Kentucky. Saal said Jacob, 22, has fallen in love with the restaurant business while Alex, 20, will be a dorm resident assistant at Murray State this fall, after serving as his dorm’s athletic director last year.