Kurt Kohler enters his ninth season as head volleyball coach at Fort Hays State University in 2017. He has guided FHSU to 127 wins in eight seasons at the helm, second-most in program history (127-141 career record).
Fort Hays State has accumulated seven 20-win seasons since joining the NCAA Division II in 1992 (25-year history). Kohler has coached the Tigers in three of those seasons, more than any other coach. Kohler has now led the Tigers to back-to-back 20-win campaigns for just the second time in the program's Division II history (25-9 in 2016, 21-13 in 2015). The nine losses last season are the fewest for the Tigers since 2004 (31-5). The first 20-win season under Kohler occurred in 2012 when the Tigers finished 23-14 overall. FHSU has averaged 19 wins per season over the past six years under Kohler.
The Tigers finished 11-7 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play in 2016, producing their most conference wins in a season since joining the MIAA in 2006. FHSU has advanced to the MIAA tournament three times under Kohler (2012, 2015, 2016).
Kohler has coached 28 All-MIAA selections in his time at Fort Hays State, including five honorees in a season three times, tied for the program record. Two Tigers earned first team honors in 2016 (Crystal Whitten and Rebekah Spainhour), the first time FHSU has had a student-athlete on the first team since joining the MIAA in 2006.
Additionally, Kohler coached the fifth All-American in program history in 2016 when Crystal Whitten earned honorable mention honors from the AVCA. Whitten also earned All-Central Region honors, the first such honor for a Tiger since 2005.
After rebuilding the program in his first two years, Kohler has drastically turned the program around at Fort Hays State in the highly competitive MIAA and toughest region in the nation at the NCAA Division II level. FHSU won 10 more matches in 2011 than it did in each of the two previous seasons, then saw a six-win improvement in 2012. Fort Hays State won double-digit conference games for the first time in 2015 (10-8), finishing sixth in the standings. The Tigers improved to 11-7 in 2016 to tie for fourth in the conference, FHSU's best-ever finish in the MIAA standings.
Kohler came to Fort Hays State from Barton (Kan.) Community College, where he coached volleyball during the 2005-06 season, but then took over as Barton’s athletic director for the next two and a half years. Kohler brought three years of head coaching experience at the community college level, where he posted an overall record of 89-44.
In 2005-06, Kohler led Barton to a 36-11 overall record and a national ranking for most of the season. Barton finished the season ranked 14th in the nation. Kohler was voted the Jayhawk West Division Coach of the Year that season.
Kohler gained his first experience at the NCAA Division II level at Missouri Western State University, where he served as Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator in 2004.
Prior to his year at Missouri Western, Kohler coached three years at Allen County (Kan.) Community College from 2001-2003. He served as assistant coach in 2001 before becoming the head coach for the next two years. He was voted the Jayhawk East Division Coach of the Year in 2002. He guided Allen County to District D Championships in both his years as head coach. Kohler posted an overall record of 53-33 at ACCC. He served as the Assistant Athletic Director at ACCC while coaching volleyball, eventually becoming the interim athletic director.
Kohler was the athletic director and head volleyball coach at Weld Central High School in Keenesburg, Colo., during the 2000-01 school year. In his time at WCHS, Kohler guided the volleyball program to one of its top finishes in school history and helped triple the size of the booster club. He planned and promoted fund-raising efforts that doubled the budget of the school.
Kohler also spent time as the Youth Sports Supervisor for the Fort Collins, Colo., Parks and Recreation Department. While in Colorado, Kohler was a volleyball coach at Morgan Community College in Limon, Colo., Karval High School in Karval, Colo., and Genoa-Hugo High School in Hugo, Colo. He earned league Coach of the Year honors twice while coaching in Colorado. Kohler served as President of the Colorado High School Volleyball Coaches Association in 2000 and 2001. In five years, Kohler posted an overall record of 137-30 at the high school level in Colorado.
A native of Colorado Springs, Colo., Kohler earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in Exercise and Sport Science in 1995. He also earned a Teaching Certificate for Physical Education and Science. Kohler obtained his master’s degree from Emporia State University in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation in 2004.
