KU Cheerleading Coaches

I grew up in Iowa City, Iowa before attending high school in Stillwater, Oklahoma where I competed in gymnastics among other sports. I then attended KU for Industrial Design while cheering for four years, earning two NCA All-American awards and two "KU Coach's Awards." In 1997, I graduated from KU and married Nami. We then moved to Iowa City where I attended grad school in Biomechanics at the University of Iowa, where we also assistant coached for five years. After graduating, we continued coaching and working in Iowa City until moving to Kansas City in 2004 to coach the KU squad and to live closer to our families. In addition to coaching, I design the KU.edu web site.

Nami grew up in Mulvane, Kansas, where she cheered in high school and competed at the state championships in Track (long jump). She was also an accomplished pianist and oboist, which she continued at KU while majoring in Exercise Science. At the University of Iowa, Nami earned a Master's degree in Physical Therapy and also helped coach the University of Iowa Cheer Squad and head-coached Cedar Rapids Prairie High School's competition squad for five years. Nami now works as a physical therapist in Lawrence.

I am originally from Wichita where I participated in gymnastics and tumbling as an extra-curricular activity. When I was fourteen my family moved to Overland Park where I was unable to participate in gymnastics for any high schools. I ended up going to St. Thomas Aquinas High School and joining the cheerleading squad to fill the void. I cheered there all four years, two of them as the only male cheerleader on the squad. After high school, I cheered under Corey and Nami at KU during the 2005-06 season, followed by cheering professionally for the Kansas City Brigade stunt crew. Since then, I have been coaching and teaching private lessons at many gyms in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas. I am now proud to call Lawrence, KS my home and I am very happy to be a part of the cheerleading community here. I am overjoyed to have the opportunity to work with Corey and Nami again and to represent the University of Kansas as an assistant cheerleading coach. There is nothing more exciting than the opportunity to have a part in cheering our teams to victory while upholding our vast traditions of academic and athletic excellence. I am proud to be a Jayhawk once again! Rock Chalk!