He pushed his racing wheelchair across the US, covering over 2,500 miles under his own power. Aug 03, 2022 at 02:52 PM. He would tell them, Without an education youll be operating with a real handicap! At each school, Saunders asked administrators to choose two students (one boy, one girl) who had overcome adversity. 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. Email. He submitted recommendations outlining a temporary shutdown of the facility, and necessary repairs to resolve problems with the failing dust collection system. He served on the Council until 2000. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1996. [7] The suspended grain dust particles instantly ignited, producing a series of powerful explosions that ripped through the facility at a speed calculated by experts at Texas A&M University to be in excess of 1,082ft per second.[8]. You can be "old school" and be successful. 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. The Timberwolves are trapped in the league's longest playoff drought, a woeful stretch that started in 2004-05 the same season in which Saunders was relieved of his coaching duties after a 25 . Kevin Saunders (left) was the kicker & punter for the Downs Dragons football team all four years of high school. During the race he was unable to maintain pace with other competitors and was eventually disqualified once he was passed by the leading foot runners. He would spend nearly a year in the hospital and in rehabilitation, before being released in a wheelchair, completely paralyzed from the chest down. In 1995, Saunders was named a Top 100 Motivational Speaker, alongside notable people Donald Trump and Katie Couric. Kevin Saunders (Kevin Vaughn Saunders) was born on 8 December, 1955 in Smith Center, KS, is a Motivational speaker, paralympian, author. Matt I coached with years ago and have seen when we've played Radford. 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. His injuries included a fractured skull, collapsed lungs, shattered scapulas, various internal and external injuries and a severed spine at (T5). You can post now and register later. This season, Coach Saunders led the Bobcats to a 3-6 record after reclassifiying down to 3A, and for the first time in 4 years, Gilmer was in the playoff discussion. Gretna coach Kevin Saunders has resigned from his position to take a football coaching job at Cross Keys High School in Atlanta, Ga. Saunders went 49-15 and won a state title in five. After graduating from college, Saunders became a federal inspector for the USDA. Tune in to 101.1 FM WLJA for Braves Baseball all season long! The grain elevators silos (14-stories tall, 40 ft in diameter with reinforced walls up to 3 ft thick) were destroyed in seconds. In 1989, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole nominated Saunders to serve on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (PCFSN). In 1984, Saunders won the bronze medal in the National Wheelchair Athletic Associations Track and Field competition in Johnson City, Tennessee. 0:58. That has to be well over 6 figures in worth. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 68 years old? In 2009, Kevin returned to Kansas State Football on a part-time basis, furthering his work with the team. Some of my duties as motivational coach included speaking and working with the team giving inspirational goal-setting talks As the explosion garnered national news coverage, doctors worked to first stabilize Saunders condition, and then to begin treating some of the injuries. To get to the next level in competition, he was going to need something that was stronger, lighter and more agile but this means something that was not off-the-shelf., Not one to be discouraged, Kevin formulated a plan: I turned to the only place I could think of the brilliant engineers at my alma mater, Kansas State University., When President Jon Wefald and V.P. 0:00. CLEVELAND, Ohio Former Browns receivers coach Al Saunders worked for Marty Schottenheimer longer than any of his other coaches, serving as assistant head coach and receivers coach in Kansas . He also won field events including javelin, discus, swimming, air rifles and pistols, earning Best Athlete of the Games honors on several occasions. 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. The rising volume and tremor of the floor told an unmistakable truth that the building he was standing in would soon burst into flames. As an inspector, Saunders was responsible for checking export grain elevators at major ports. Gilmer will be looking for their 4th coach in 6 years. His excellence is. That's really more of a Wednesday kind of thing in my place of work. 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]. In 1989, Saunders worked alongside Tom Cruise and Oliver Stone as a principal actor during the filming of Born on the Fourth of July. 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. Former Ole Miss assistant football coach David Saunders is taking on the NCAA. If it is, player interest will erode over time. While at KSU, he joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and continued to play sports until graduating from the university in 1978. Kevins story has been featured in TV, radio, print and online media, and continued into 2014. He transferred to Kansas State University, majoring in agricultural economics. In 1989, Saunders worked alongside Tom Cruise and Oliver Stone as a principal actor during the filming of the Academy Award-winning film "Born on the Fourth of July." michaes@uci.edu. Darin Gantt. He has also been featured in over 50 TV commercials promoting safety, fitness, education, sports and wellness. The Wildcats won an Alliance Bowl bid from the Fiesta Bowl. Along the way, Saunders received over 100 official mayoral and gubernatorial proclamations declaring Kevin Saunders Day for his work in promoting greater health and fitness across the nation. Penn State's intrasquad scrimmage is expected to begin at 2 p.m. Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin has hinted all . Coach Snyder asked Kevin Saunders to stay on as the motivational coach for the Kansas State football team. Passionate about loving God and building meaningful relationships with people. April 15, 2023 3:47 pm ET. You cannot accept less than 200% from yourselves and your teammates., This seemed to strike a chord with the team and they got fired up, taking the field with a renewed purpose. [citation needed], Saunders became a motivational speaker and consultant in 1984, shortly after winning the bronze medal at the USATF Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee. 4h Kevin Seifert. Saunders has also won many road races throughout the United States and in other countries. He is the only coach the school has ever had as he was presented the . Will Cooper. However, he noticed that the wheelchairs he was using werent always up for what he wanted to do, and other competitors were taking the track in more specialized wheelchairs. [13] Saunders faced a difficult transition to life as a paraplegic, experiencing bouts of depression and emotional distress. In 2004, Saunders founded the Fitness 4 All 50 State Tour, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to educating Americans of all ages on matters of staying active and healthy eating. After graduating from college, Saunders began training to become a federal inspector for the USDA. The Blue-White game is set for Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium. Without any hesitation, Coach Snyder brought their attention to us and announced: You all know who this is because you have already heard me speak about Kevin. Marvin Sanders (born October 2, 1967) is an American football coach who is currently the Cornerbacks coach for the Arlington Renegades of the XFL. 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. 2020 Copyright by Saunders & Associates. Faced with severe paralysis, he overcame constant physical pain, overwhelming depression and self-doubt to become a World Champion athlete, author and inspiration to millions around the world - helping them to "Never Give Up!" in pursuit of their goals. Saunders injuries were so severe that he was black-flagged and not expected to survive. He was recognized as the Outstanding Male Athlete at the National and International Games on several occasions. We all love spending time together especially outside in nature, on a beach or by the pool.<br>My other . Senator Bob Dole, a fellow Kansan, who spoke at the commencement exercises for Downs High School. The crackling and popping of the concrete being blown apart was so loud it felt like it was going to split my head wide open.. Many others suffered severe, life-altering injuries requiring extended hospitalization. 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 . Kevin Saunders Motivational Speaker | Motivational Coach | Author at Saunders & Associates Speaking Published Oct 14, 2017 + Follow Growing up on a farm in the Midwest, I was raised in a. For these children, Saunders shared a Never Give Up! message based on his own difficult hospital recovery. In 1994, Saunders became the only person to be reappointed to the Council by President Bill Clinton. 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