OUAZ Athletics

Kevin Steele has been in the role of Director of Athletics at OUAZ since the school was launched in 2017 and is in his 27th year in athletic administration overall. Steele previously served in the same capacity at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas. 
 
Under Steele's leadership, OUAZ has seen success beyond anyone's expectations. OUAZ has won two NCCAA Men's Volleyball National Championships, two AVCA Beach Volleyball National Championships, a men's water polo title, and had NAIA National Championship appearances in football (twice), softball, men's golf, women's golf, men's soccer, women's volleyball, and men's basketball.
 
Spirit teams have won multiple conference championships in football and men's golf, while women's golf, men's soccer, women's soccer, women's volleyball, baseball, softball, and men's volleyball have each won a conference title.
 
Steele played a crucial role in designing and building the OUAZ Athletics Department facilities in the O'Dell Center, Spirit Field, and Faith Arena. These facilities are among the best in small college athletics and are home to most of the department's 29 sports and the administrative team and coach's offices.
 
During his tenure at MNU, the department experienced great success in overall program development. MNU women's basketball won the 2016 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship. MNU Football won the conference title three times and advanced to the NAIA National Championship Series in 6 of 7 years, reaching the semifinals in 2010 and the quarterfinals in 2009 and 2011. MNU men's basketball advanced to the Fab Four in the NAIA Division I National Championship three times and won the HAAC regular season and conference tournament. The softball program won two conference titles and competed in the National Championship four times, with the appearance in 2010 being the first in program history. MNU baseball experienced some of their most successful seasons in program history and won the West Division of the HAAC in 2011 and the overall HAAC title in 2014 to advance to the National Championship for the first time. The men's soccer program finished NAIA National Runners-Up, won their first HAAC Tournament title and competed for four consecutive years in the NAIA National Championship. The women's volleyball program developed into a national power, reaching a ranking as high as No. 5 while winning four HAAC tourney titles, four straight overall HAAC championships, and playing at the National Championship four times.
 
Steele has been honored as National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Athletics Director of the Year three times (2002, 2015, and 2022). He was also honored as the Heart of America Athletics Director of the Year for 2015-16.
 
Steele has extensive involvement in the NAIA national landscape, having held positions of Chair of the Hall of Fame Committee, member of the National Administrative Council, member of the NAIA Growth and Advisory Panel, creator and member of the NAIA Athletic Directors Association Board of Governors, and is a Past President of the NAIA Athletic Directors Association after serving two terms as President.
 
While at MNU, Steele oversaw the construction of Dixon Stadium (baseball) and various improvements to the football, softball, and Cook Center facilities. Other highlights of the Steele era at MNU Athletics are the creation of the annual Hall of Fame Banquet and induction ceremonies, winning the HAAC Conference Commissioner's Award twice, winning the HAAC Champions of Character Award for an individual, and having the baseball program win the NAIA National Champions of Character Team Award. 
 
Before his tenure at MNU, Steele held the same position at California Baptist University in Riverside, Calif. During his time at CBU, Steele oversaw a program consisting of 22 teams. He started six new programs in his three years, and all were ranked in the top 10 in the NAIA within three years of inception. Steele's programs won seven National Championships and multiple conference championships.
 
Before his time at CBU, Steele was the Director of Athletics at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. While there, the football program won the Golden Isles Bowl, and he later hired Coach Brad Franchione, who went on to win two national championships.
 
Prior to Blinn, Steele spent 10 years at Redlands College, where he doubled the size of the department, won a National Championship in men's basketball, built two new facilities, and was named the AD of the Year for the Central Region of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. He also held the position of Region II Director and Assistant Director for the NJCAA.
 
Steele began his administrative career at The University of Oklahoma in the athletics department and the Center for Business and Economic Development. Before his administrative career, Steele spent several years as a basketball coach at the high school and collegiate levels, including time as an assistant coach at Grand Canyon University under Head Coach John Shumate and later as Head Coach along with his brother, Jerry, at ACB, where his team won the NBCAA National Championship.

Steele has three children (Kyle, Spenser, and Sheridan), two daughters-in-law (Taryn and Kristen), one son-in-law (Chance Willard), and eight grandchildren (Kambria, Berklee, Kollisyn, Stafford, Kori Jean, Kennedy, Kros, and SJ). Currently, Kyle is the head men's volleyball coach at OUAZ, Spenser is in secondary education in Ladera Ranch, Calif., and Sheridan is the head volleyball coach at Edgewood High School in Edgewood, Texas. He is married to Kristin Steele, head coach of OUAZ's women's volleyball team.