Gary Kempf, who has served the past 27 years as a coach and administrator at Kansas University, has accepted the position of athletic director at Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky.
Kempf, a former KU swim coach and current assistant athletic director, will start his new position July 1. He will remain at KU until the end of the 2004 calendar year.
“My debt of gratitude to the University of Kansas is so deep,” Kempf said. “It has provided unbelievable opportunities for myself, my wife and my family. It’s been a ride that no one can ever forget.”
Asbury College is a Christian school located near Lexington, Ky. It sponsors 11 sports and competes at the NAIA level.
Kempf spent 24 years as head coach of the KU women’s swimming team and 18 seasons as head coach of the men’s squad. A six-time conference coach of the year and the 1983 NCAA swimming coach of the year, Kempf was inducted into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.
Kempf won seven Big Eight titles as a KU swimmer in the 1970s.
“We are sorry to lose him, but we are happy for him because of this exciting opportunity,” KU athletic director Lew Perkins said.
