But then, on a busy afternoon like any other, Kevin heard the sound he would never forgetone explosion, and then another, snapping like popcorn in the distance. At the 1992 Paralympic Games Trials in Salt Lake City, Utah, Saunders broke the pentathlon world record, simultaneously setting a new Paralympic record. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. The rising volume and tremor of the floor told an unmistakable truth that the building he was standing in would soon burst into flames. All rights reserved. Al Saunders, NFL coach since 1983 and former Chargers head coach who worked with Fouts, . In the early nineties, as Kevin was competing in the Paralympic games and other competitions around the world as a wheelchair athlete he started to garner some recognition. Based on that experience,he's not someone I would choose to get to know. [19] He served on the council until 2000. The change in the program was later dubbed the greatest turnaround in college football history.. About the experience, Saunders has said, I didnt even know how long the course was. Not necessarily true. Coaches; Football Power Index; Weekly Leaders; Total QBR; . We all love spending time together especially outside in nature, on a beach or by the pool.<br>My other . They trained together back home in Ohio as high-schoolers. Houston, Texas 77007-7448, Tel: (713) 449-4578 Avid Luton Town and Liverpool FC fan Show all results. He served on the Council until 2000. PUBLISHED: March 3, 2020 at 1:38 p.m. | UPDATED: March 4, 2020 at 2:31 a.m. ATHERTON More than two months after parting ways with football coach Steve Papin, Menlo-Atherton has found his . The next day, on April 7, an employee disregarded basic safety precautions during a routine Phostoxin in pesticide application, triggering a spark in one of the silos with abnormally heavy grain dust concentrations. Coach Snyder asked Kevin Saunders to work as the motivational coach for the Kansas State football team, and he did from 1991 until 2005, during whats been referred to as the greatest college football turnaround in history'. Senator Bob Dole, a fellow Kansan, who spoke at the commencement exercises for Downs High School. Throughout his career, Saunders was a member of the National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA), Wheelchair Sports, USA, and Wheelchair & Ambulatory Sports, USA, now known as Adaptive Sports USA. He was the first person with a disability appointed to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, and remains the only person to serve two consecutive terms under different administrations, first under President George H. W . Email: kevin@kevinsaunders.com. Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders speaks at the 2022 SWAC Football Media Day at the Birmingham Sheraton Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 21, 2022. Doctors gave him less than 1% chance of survival. Athletically, he won hundreds of gold medals and earned the title of the greatest all-around wheelchair athlete in the world. And that success was only the beginning. By Saunders became a motivational speaker and consultant in 1984, shortly after winning the bronze medal at the USATF Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee. Kevin Saunders is a Head Football Coach at DeKalb County School District based in Dunwoody, Georgia. [22] Saunders has also been recognized among Kansas State's 30 most famous alumni. Ask Kevin how he accomplished any of these things, and hell tell you the secret to his success to never lose your faith in God and Never Give Up! . You can post now and register later. He also lacked the proper equipment, lining up at the start in a standard-issue hospital wheelchair unsuitable for racing. In 1989, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole nominated Saunders to serve on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (PCFSN). Cave Spring basketball standout Dylan Saunders has flipped his commitment from Fairleigh Dickinson University to Iona University after former FDU coach Tobin Anderson jumped to Iona . As the explosion garnered national news coverage, doctors worked to first stabilize Saunders condition, and then to begin treating some of the injuries. We represent our speakers equally, so our goal is to provide a keynote speaker that best fits YOU. Kevin Saunders (born December 8, 1955, in Smith Center, Kansas) is an American Paralympian, author, and has been recognized one of the top motivational speakers in America. He pushed his racing wheelchair across the US, covering over 2,500 miles under his own power. He would go on to win hundreds of medals in both domestic and international competitions. [21], Saunders is also the author of five books:[citation needed], In 1995, Saunders was recognized as Distinguished Alumnus from Kansas State University College of Agriculture. In 2009, Kevin returned to Kansas State Football on a part-time basis, furthering his work with the team. In 1990, Saunders founded the Wheelchair Success Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing scholarships for college or technical schools to people with disabilities and permanently confined to a wheelchair. As an inspector, Saunders was responsible for checking export grain elevators at major ports. During the tour, Saunders also visited over 50 childrens hospitals. Divorced, bankrupt, and utterly alone, Kevin fell into a deep depression. In fact, the grateful players, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in and out of football, even dedicated an annual award in his honor. That has to be well over 6 figures in worth. Oklahoma Speakers 2023. . Corpus Christi Public Grain Elevator explosion After graduating from college, Saunders began training to become a federal inspector for the USDA. Some of my duties as motivational coach included speaking and working with the team giving inspirational goal-setting talks. Anyone who has heard Kevin speak knows he believes that Sports is the. The Rams Kurt Warner,left, and wide reciever coach Al Saunders, center, enjoy themselves after watching Trent Green complete a pass against the Chargers at the Trans World Dome on Sunday October 1 . Saunders athletic career as an elite wheelchair athlete spanned from 1984 to 2014, when he won the USA Track & Field (USATF) Half Marathon Championship in Houston, Texas.[16]. Saunders signed up, though he had only participated in wheelchair basketball and had never trained for a wheelchair race. Darin Gantt. The Buckeyes play their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. These cookies do not store any personal information. Coach Snyder asked Kevin Saunders to work as the motivational coach for the Kansas State football team, and he did from 1991 until 2005, during what's been referred to as 'the greatest college football turnaround in history'. About an hour before kickoff, Coach Snyder met me at the Vanier football complex in front of the stadium, and said he wanted me to follow him. It turns out, perhaps for the benefit of his after-dinner audiences (Saunders gets 1,000-2,000 a pop, according to his online promoters at www.comedians.co.uk), Saunders is not just a fine . In fact, the grateful players, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in and out of football, even dedicated an annual award in his honor. I thought we were going to his office or to the field, but instead we made our way around a couple of corners, down a short hallway, and then to an unmarked door in a long hallway. Saunders was 43-94 as coach of the Timberwolves in his two-plus seasons . These cookies do not store any personal information. Before he had time to even think or move, a blast rocketed the office and sent him over a 2-story building three hundred feet into the air. Coach Leavitt was the co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State and Kevin Saunders was the motivation coach for the team. Friday's 70-7 loss to . He submitted recommendations outlining a temporary shutdown of the facility, and necessary repairs to resolve problems with the failing dust collection system. After winning the World Track & Field Championships in England in 1989, Saunders was declared The Worlds Greatest All-Around Wheelchair Athlete. [13] Saunders faced a difficult transition to life as a paraplegic, experiencing bouts of depression and emotional distress. After two seasons on the job, Gilmer High football head coach Kevin Saunders has resigned. View the profiles of people named Kevin Saunders. I told them, The thing that you have to remember, that you always have to carry with youis that you can never, never, give up believing you can win and finding a way to win. The award was given to the player who displayed the most courage, determination, dedication, and perseverance in the pursuit of team goals. I know him, matt and their sister and 2 of the 3 are good peoplesome may like him and that's fine cause I'm sure people like himbut to each their own, He is a winner,he expects boys to be men or on there way to being a man, did he cures-yes, grab a kid by the facemask-yes, did he let little johnny's parent tell him "little johnny should play because I GAVE THE PROGRAM $$$$, ---NO.HE is better suited for kids that have seen a lot worse than a coach raising his voice at practice.I would dare to say that if JJ KELLY or CENTRAL would have kept SAUNDERS that they may have had a ring or two. Email. The youngest of three boys, Saunders was born to Donald and Freda Saunders, who owned a farm in north central Kansas. In 2013, Kansas State University picked Kevin Saunders and a handful of other outstanding alumni to represent the University in its Wildcat Way campaign. When he opened it, there were over a hundred young players facing us on the other side. In 2016, Saunders was inducted into the Hall of Fame, recognized for his outstanding achievements as a multiple World & International Champion, multiple Paralympic medalist, multiple Pan American Games medalist and World and Paralympic record holder. I would even say that some of these kids now days need some "old school" in their lives. After meeting with President George H. W. Bush, Saunders became the first person with a disability to serve on the council, working alongside Chairman Arnold Schwarzenegger and other notable health and fitness experts. Contact. At graduation in 1974, Saunders met U.S. All rights reserved. He was instantly knocked unconscious and was blown through the roof of the building. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty . Henry Russell (Red) Sanders, who died suddenly and shockingly in a downtown Los Angeles hotelroom last week, was one of the few men in football coaching who genuinelymerited the accolade "wizard." Kansas State University lists Saunders as a member of its Acclaimed Alumni in sports. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Share More sharing options. Sanders joined Tampa Bay's staff in 2022 after former assistant Mike Caldwell left to become Jacksonville's defensive coordinator and Larry Foote moved from the outside linebacker room to coach. It always amazes me when people say x is a great coach but is old school. An accident in April 1981, at a grain elevator in Corpus Christi, Texas, wounded him severely, and left him in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down. Saunders athletic career as an elite wheelchair athlete spanned from 1984 to 2014, when he won the USA Track & Field (USATF) Half Marathon Championship in Houston, Texas. 320 Jackson Hill St. #164 Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. He also lacked the proper equipment, lining up at the start in a standard-issue hospital wheelchair unsuitable for racing. Sanders' 66-19-1 record gave him a .773 winning percentage that remains the best in school history. Everybody wants their son to play for Bobby Knight until theson becomesthe next Neil Reed! The grain elevators silos (14-stories tall, 40 ft in diameter with reinforced walls up to 3 ft thick) were destroyed in seconds. His best punt was for 76 yards and his best field goal was 46 yards. Box 1076 87Tiger 62 87Tiger 62 Mitey-Mite; Members; 62 314 posts; Report; Share . Later, Coach Snyder asked if Id be interested in staying on as motivational coach for the team, says Kevin. 0:33. American Paralympian, Author & Motivational Speaker From tragedy to triumph, Kevin Saunders has risen to become one of the world's greatest wheelchair athletes and top inspirational speaker and motivational coaches today. During the 2012 season, Coach Bill Snyder asked Kevin Saunders after his presentation to the football team to come back to be the motivational coach as he had done in the past for the team. He would spend nearly a year in the hospital and in rehabilitation, before being released in a wheelchair, completely paralyzed from the chest down. Bob Saunders is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator and running backs coach for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL). [9] There was massive loss of life as many grain elevator employees were either killed by the blast instantly or succumbed to fatal injuries in the moments that followed. But rather than remain miserable, Kevin did what he now teaches audiences around the world to do he decided to keep moving forward. The youngest of three boys, Saunders was born to Donald and Freda Saunders, who owned a farm in north central Kansas. ", "President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition", "Winner? Overall, despite some showers at times, Penn State's spring game was played under decent enough weather conditions as the . For the videogame developer, see, President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, Learn how and when to remove this template message, President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, US Department of Health and Human Services, Kansas State University College of Agriculture, American Association of Community Colleges, President Announces Appointment of 14 Members to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, "Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections", "Motivational speaker Kevin Saunders recounts Corpus Christi grain explosion 37 years later", "Corpus Christi, TX Grain Elevator Blast, Apr 1981", "$7.5 Million Settlement Made In Grain Elevator Explosion", "Preventing Grain Dust Explosions by Reducing MECs in Grain Handling Facilities", "Deadly explosions rip grain elevators in Texas, Nebraska", "Finding a Champion Within The Kevin Saunders Story", "Overcome Adversity and Conquer Your Goals", "World Champion Motivational Speaker Kevin Saunders interviewed by ABC News after Half Marathon WIN! He inherited a program on a 30-game losing streak and posted a 7-12 record in two seasons as the Bobcats head coach. Best photos from Penn State's 2023 Blue-White Game. Red Sanders. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Saunders turned in his letter of resignation last Wednesday and discussed his reason for leaving the, Saunders steps down as Gilmer Highs football head coach, Ledford proud, excited to be new CLCC minister, Ellijay girl running for St. Jude fundraiser, Gilmer High School teacher arrested, resigns, Woofstock to be a groovy good time for pets, owners, Longtime court clerk Johnsons kindness, dedication remembered. Display as a link instead, I also participated in basketball as a starter and track. Some say this 2012 season for the Kansas State University Wildcats has been the 2nd greatest turnaround in college football history. Kansas State University finished the regular season with its first ever #1 BCS ranking and an 11-1 regular season and winning the BIG XII Championship. It's possible to be "old school" and not be an asshole too. Kevin Saunders (born December 8, 1955, in Smith Center, Kansas) is an American paralympian and author. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Saunders continued to promote health and fitness after the PCFSN, serving as an International Ambassador for Health, Fitness and Proper Nutrition. SPARTANBURG, S.C. The veteran coach always wanted all his players to go into multiple sports when they . After just two season with the Gilmer Bobcats, Kevin Saunders will be looking for a new home. Extreme Motivator For over a decade, Kevin worked alongside Coach Bill Snyder, head football coach at Kansas State University, to assist in "the greatest turnaround in college sports history." Some of these kids now days need some `` old school than miserable. 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