Director of Athletics - Joel Nielsen
Joel Nielsen, hired as Kent State University’s 11th director of athletics in March of 2010, arrived with a clear vision of making the Golden Flashes among the preeminent athletic departments in the nation. In Nielsen’s six years, the Kent State athletic department has prospered athletically, academically, and financially. Major athletic highlights have included an 11-win football season (2012) and first bowl appearance in 40 years, baseball’s first appearance in the College World Series (2012), two Men’s Basketball MAC Championships, Track & Field National Champion in the hammer throw (Matthias Tayala, 2014), and wrestling’s first NCAA champion (Dustin Kilgore, 2011). Â
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2014-2015
The 2014-15 season was another record breaking year for the Golden Flashes Athletic Department. Academically, the student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom with an all-time department high cumulative GPA of 3.189, with 12 teams exceeding a 3.0. A total of 54 Kent State competitors were honored with All-MAC accolades. Also, a record number of four student-athletes were selected as Capital One Academic All-Americans and five additional student-athletes were Academic All-District honorees.
Record fundraising levels were also accomplished, with over $5.5 million in cash and pledges to the department for the year. Highlights included a new seven-figure commitment and 39 pledges of $25,000 or greater. Private monies (exceeding $900,000) were also secured to renovate the football locker room and player lounge.
Kent State earned six MAC regular season and/or tournament titles in 2014-15 in addition to three player of the year and two coach of the year recipients. The Golden Flashes also secured the Wagon Wheel Trophy in football, and for a fourth consecutive year, the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge Trophy in their annual competition with the University of Akron.  Â
Under Nielsen’s leadership, the Golden Flashes finished second among Mid-American Conference schools in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings third among Ohio’s 12 Division I schools.
2013-14
Kent State earned seven MAC regular season and/or tournament titles in 2013-14. With numerous NCAA appearances and one National Champion in Men’s Track & Field, it was another great year at Kent State University. The Golden Flashes also brought home the Wagon Wheel challenge for the 3rd straight year over rival Akron.
This year brought many record-breaking academic numbers to KSU Athletics. For the spring 2014 term, KSU student-athletes boasted a 3.13 department cumulative GPA. In addition to overall GPA, six teams earned the highest GPA in their teams’ recorded history throughout the year: baseball, men’s basketball, gymnastics, softball, women’s track & field and wrestling. The men’s basketball team GPA rose above a 3.0 for the first time in program history during spring 2014.
Boasting a record number of Annual donors in FY14, fundraising efforts still continue to soar under Nielsen’s leadership. The Building champions initiative is in full swing with the completion of Fieldhouse locker rooms and the continuation at Schoonover stadium adding the David and Peggy Edmonds Baseball and Softball Training Facility. FY 14 included all-time high of 29 pledges at 25,000 or more and raising $100,000 at this year’s Annual Scholarship Auction.
Kent State captured two of the highest MAC honors for a department. The Jacoby Trophy for the most outstanding overall Woman’s program in the conference, and the prestigious Cartwright award for the strongest program in academics, athletics, and community service.
Once again, the Golden Flashes lead the MAC in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings for the 14th time in 15 years, and 17th in the 21-year history of the award that is given annually to the nation’s best overall collegiate athletics program. Additionally, Kent State was second among Ohio’s 13 Division I schools
2012-13
Kent State’s athletic teams and student-athletes celebrated a banner year in 2012-13. His vision helped lead the Golden Flashes to nine Mid-American Conference titles, and inspired Kent State’s football team to its most successful season in program history, on the heels of hiring Head Coach Darrell Hazell in December of 2010. The Golden Flashes won 11 games, captured its first-ever Mid-American Conference East Division crown and made its first bowl trip since 1972. KSU Men’s basketball team also picked up its 14th 20-win season in a 15-year span.Â
In 2012-13, Nielsen led the athletic department to another banner year in its fundraising efforts generating more than $4.8 million in pledges and cash, and launched the Building Champions Initiative, Kent State’s largest fundraising endeavor in the history of the department. The initiative was set in motion in early May with the groundbreaking of the Field House Locker Room project, and will soon break ground on the baseball/softball hitting facility.
The Golden Flashes finished as the Mid-American Conference leader in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings for the 13th time in 14 years, and 16th in the 20-year history of the award that is given annually to the nation’s best overall collegiate athletics program. Additionally, Kent State was second among Ohio’s 13 Division I schools
Kent State also captured the prestigious Reese Trophy for the fifth consecutive year for men’s all-sports excellence in the MAC, as well as a PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge title for the second straight year over archrival Akron.
Academically, the department’s 3.11 spring grade point average was the best semester in recorded history.  Six different teams set program GPA records, while 61 percent of student-athletes had a GPA of 3.0 or higher. More impressively, 36 percent of Golden Flashes had term GPAs of 3.5 or better, while 24 individuals posted a perfect 4.0.
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2011-12
The 2011-12 academic year was also a sterling campaign for the Golden Flashes. The University garnered its fourth straight Reese Trophy, and collected the inaugural PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge title over Akron.  Kent State finished as the MAC’s top school in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, and the baseball team advanced to the NCAA College World Series for the first time in program history. Additionally, the men’s golf team earned its highest ever national finish coming in fifth at the 2012 NCAA Championships.
Kent State was also named the 2012 National Champion in the Excellence in Management Cup by Texas A&M’s Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics. It was the fourth top three finish in four years for the department. Kent State won the Excellence in Management Cup in 2010, while placing third in 2011 and second in 2009. The Cup determines which Division I (FBS) athletic departments win the most conference championships and excel on the national stage, while carrying the lowest expenses.
2010-11
In Nielsen’s first year as director of athletics, the Golden Flashes continued to stand out among other Mid-American Conference schools, with five teams earning Top 20 finishes in NCAA competition.
Although the storied history of Kent State athletics has been around for nearly 100 years, two major department firsts were met in the 2010-11 academic year. Junior Dustin Kilgore became Kent State’s first wrestling national champion at 197 pounds, helping his team to a 17th place NCAA finish. The gymnastics team also earned a spot in the 2011 NCAA Championships for the first time in school history, finishing 12th. In addition, Kent State hosted the National Championship at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland.
During that same time period, the men’s basketball team also earned national attention with a quarterfinal appearance in the NIT. The Flashes’ success carried all the way to the month of June as the men’s golf team earned its second straight NCAA Top 20 finish. Days later, the baseball team advanced to the NCAA Austin Regional final.
PRIOR TO KENT STATE:
University of South Dakota
During his seven-year tenure as athletic director, Nielsen spearheaded the department’s transition to Division I. He secured membership in the Summit League for all sports (except football) starting in 2010 and membership for USD football in the Great West Football Conference in 2007.
Colorado College
Before taking over at USD, Nielsen served for two-and-a-half years as athletic director at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, overseeing a 20-sport athletic program, which included two sports (men’s ice hockey and women’s soccer) at the Division I level.
Wake Forest University, Illinois State and Northern Illinois
From 1993 to 2001, Nielsen was the associate athletic director at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he was in charge of the administration and management of the athletic department’s external relations. Prior to Wake Forest, he was an assistant athletic director at Illinois State in Normal, Ill. (1991-92) and served as an athletic development assistant at Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill. (1990-91).
Education and Early Career
Nielsen earned a B.S. degree in business finance (1985) and a M.A. degree in sports administration (1991), both from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He also completed the necessary course requirements for an EdD. in Leadership and Educational Policy Studies at Northern Illinois. While at MSU, Nielsen played football and baseball before becoming a graduate assistant (1989-90) for head football coach Dan Runkle.
Personal
Nielsen (age 52) and his wife, Sharon (who was a scholarship golfer at Northern Illinois), have three daughters, twins Kasey and Kelly, and Kory. Kasey and Kelly are freshmen members of the Kent State Women’s Golf team and Kory is a junior at Kent Roosevelt High School. Â
