Kevin Knight ('99)

Kevin Knight is a star — on the field and off. A former defender with the United Soccer Leagues' Richmond Kickers, Kevin is now a firefighter. He decided to pursue a firefighting career along with his passion for soccer after a life-changing moment. On the scene of an accident involving a 13-year-old boy hit by a car while riding his bicycle, Knight was impressed with the quick thinking and lifesaving work of the paramedics and firefighters. "I wanted to know what to do if something like that ever happened again," he says. Now his daily routine often involves house fires, car accidents and emergency medical technician work instead of soccer practice. Despite a grueling schedule, Kevin finds time for his family and for others. For the past three years, he has volunteered with a Christian ministry group helping children in war-torn northern Uganda.

"Knight was a four-time All-Colonial Athletic Association honoree when he played for the Dukes from 1995-98. He's the only athlete in school history to win both the school's Athlete of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year honor in the same year," MillaSue Wisecarver, JMU Sports Media Relations