Kevin Harris Position: Head Coach Experience: 11th Year Alma Mater: George Washington, 1992

kevin-harris@utulsa.edu

Kevin Harris is in his 11th season as the head women's rowing coach at The University of Tulsa. He became the fifth coach in school history on July 9, 2002, and since then has steadily built TU towards a stronger position within the rowing world.

During his tenure, Harris' teams have recorded 192 first-place finishes and medaled 402 boats in 93 regattas. He has seen 56 student-athletes receive Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Scholar Athlete honors and his team has won TU's Outstanding Team Community Service Award seven times (2003, '04, '05, '07, '08, '09, `10) for their community and campus involvement.

The Golden Hurricane posted 19 first-place marks, while 34 boats finished among the top three in eight regattas during the 2011-12 season. TU's Lightweight 8+ won their event at the Head of the Hooch, while the Lightweight 2x and Novice 4+ captured top finishes at the Head of the Oklahoma. Tulsa once again claimed the Lawless Cup and finished fifth in Conference USA, while Stephanie Rogers was named as a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-American, the first for TU in program history. Thirty-five rowers received C-USA academic recognition, while 10 picked up CRCA accolades.

In the 2010-11 campaign, Tulsa posted 22 first-place finishes and medaled 57 boats in 11 regattas. The Golden Hurricane earned a sixth-place finish in the Lightweight 4+ at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship, medaled its first-ever boat at the Conference USA Championship as the Varsity 4+ picked up a bronze medal, and medaled all five boats at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association to tie for the women's team trophy. Thirty-one rowers received both TU and Conference USA Academic honors, while eight were named CRCA National Scholar-Athletes.

The Golden Hurricane tallied 34 first-place marks and earned 60 medals in 10 regattas during the 2009-10 season. Tulsa captured the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association women's team title, competed in the inaugural Conference USA Championship, finishing fifth overall, earned seven medals at the USRowing Collegiate Championship, and the Lightweight 8+ was second in the Petite Final at the IRA Championship. Thirty-one rowers received both TU and Conference USA Academic honors, while seven were named CRCA National Scholar-Athletes.

In 2009, TU recorded 20 first-place finishes and took home 35 medals in nine regattas. The Golden Hurricane claimed its third straight Midwest Intercollegiate Rowing Championship, but this time it was at home on the Verdigris River in Catoosa, Okla. Tulsa captured top marks in the Novice 4+, Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+, and second-place finishes in the Varsity 4+ and Novice 8+ for the MIRC title. TU brought home six gold medals from both the Wichita Frostbite and Lawless Cup regattas, and earned a second-place Petite Final finish in the Lightweight 8+ at the IRA. Thirty-one rowers received both TU and C-USA Academic honors, while six were named CRCA National Scholar-Athletes.

Harris led Tulsa to its first-ever appearance at the 2008 IRA Championships, where the Golden Hurricane's Lightweight 4+ claimed a fifth-place finish. TU captured gold medals in the Novice 4+ and Lightweight 4+ at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship and Midwest Intercollegiate Rowing Championship, first-place finishes in the Novice 4+ at the Knecht Cup and Dad Vail Regattas, and second-place marks in the Lightweight 4+ at the Knecht Cup and Dad Vail Regatta. Tulsa also earned its second straight MIRC team championship. Twenty-eight rowers received both TU and Conference USA Academic honors, while 13 were named CRCA National Scholar-Athletes.

Harris coached the Tulsa rowers to 21 first-place finishes during the 2006-07 season, including wins in the Varsity 2-, Lightweight 4+, Varsity 4+, Novice 8+ and 2nd Varsity 8+ at the Midwest Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta to capture the MIRC team championship. TU also claimed an impressive sixth-place mark in the Varsity 8+ at the Dad Vail Regatta. Off the water, six rowers were named CRCA National Scholar Athletes, 20 earned C-USA Academic honors and 20 earned TU academic accolades.

In the 2005 fall campaign, the Club 4+ and Championship 4+ crews earned fifth- and 12th-place marks at the Head of the Charles Regatta, while the Varsity 4+ captured a second-place mark at the Head of the Oklahoma Centennial Regatta. In the spring, TU's Varsity 4+ posted wins over Creighton, Drake, SMU and Murray State. The Varsity 8+ claimed a third-place finish at the Midwest Intercollegiate Rowing Championship, and finished sixth in the semifinals at the Dad Vail Regatta. In the classroom, two rowers were selected as 2006 CRCA National Scholar Athletes, while five rowers were named C-USA All-Academic Medalists, and 21 were selected as C-USA All-Academic Honorees.

In 2004-05, Tulsa registered one of the biggest victories in the program's history with a first-place finish in the Club 4+ race at the Head of the Charles Regatta, and during the spring season, Tulsa's boats combined for 14 first-place finishes in six meets. Off the water, Harris also had the Golden Hurricane excelling in the classroom. Three rowers were named 2005 National Scholar Athletes by the CRCA, and a total of 24 rowers were named to either the President's List (6), Dean's List (11) or Athletic Director's Honor Roll (7).

Harris took a small Golden Hurricane squad and steered it through a successful 2003-04 season. TU concluded the fall by finishing ninth among 54 boats at the Head of the Charles in the Club 4+ event. During the spring, the Hurricane turned in first-ever victories against Iowa at the Longhorn Invitational and won races against Drake, Kansas and SMU in Varsity 4+ competition. Additionally, the 2004 season saw Tulsa make its first-ever appearance at the Dad Vail, where Tulsa's Novice 8+ finished fourth in a strong field.

In his first season at Tulsa in 2002-03, the Golden Hurricane competed in 10 regattas, posted four first-place finishes and medaled 23 boats.

Not only has Harris been instrumental in developing a highly competitive team, but he has been the driving force behind the construction of the Tulsa rowing facilities. The Jack Zink Indoor Rowing Center, completed in March of 2006, is a state-of-the-art rowing center that is housed within TU's Mabee Gymnasium and features an indoor rowing tank, an ergometer room capable of supporting the entire team practicing at one time, locker rooms and coaches offices.

In addition to the indoor practice facility, the 5,000-square foot J. Bird Sr. Shell Nest was completed in January 2007. The boathouse is the first boat storage facility specifically dedicated to the needs of the varsity rowers at TU. It is located on the Verdigris River and sports a natural setting of 18 miles distance for practice.

Before arriving at Tulsa, Harris was the first assistant coach at Kansas State from 1999-2002. During his tenure at KSU, he coached the novice crews and recorded victories over Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 rivals. He was also responsible for recruiting over 20 student-athletes to Kansas State. It was during Harris' time in Manhattan that the KSU squad garnered the school's first top-25 ranking in the 2002 CRCA National Poll.

From 1997-99, Harris was head coach at NCAA Division III Mills College in Oakland, Calif. In Harris' first year, he guided the Cyclones to their first-ever NCAA Championship appearance at the 1998 National Collegiate Women's Rowing Championships, becoming the first African-American coach to take a crew to the NCAAs. Mills finished 15th in the Varsity 4+, which was the school's first appearance in any sport at an NCAA Championship.

Harris began his collegiate coaching career at NCAA Division III Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. As the novice coach, Harris' crews won two straight Seven Sister's Championships and numerous duel races against New England rivals. In 1997, the novice crews contributed to Mount Holyoke winning the New England Women's 8+ Conference Championship, while also winning a New England Championship in the Second Novice 8+.

From 1991-95, Harris coached top high school crews in the Washington Metropolitan Area. As head coach at Yorktown High School, his crews recorded top finishes at the Stotesbury Cup and the SRA National Championships in the Varsity 8+ and Lightweight 8+ categories. In 1995, as head coach of the Potomac Boat Club Women's Crew, his Junior 8+ finished first at the Canadian Henley Regatta.

Harris has also served as a member of the United States Rowing Association Junior Women's Committee from 1994-98, and in 1999-2000 coached the Junior National Team Development Camps for the West Region. He is in his second stint of serving on the CRCA Board of Directors, as he previously served from 1998-2000. Harris holds a USRA Level III Coaching Certification.

Harris earned his bachelor's degree in history from George Washington University in 1992 and received a master's of education in 1997 from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Harris married the former Jennifer Busch in 2002. Jennifer received her doctoral degree in biology at TU in December 2006 and is a petroleum microbiologist with ConocoPhillips. The couple have two daughters: Victoria and Alexandra.