Kevin White's new memoir, “The Good Sport: Reflections on a Full Life in College Sports,” takes readers on a journey from his Irish-Catholic youth to electrifying locker rooms and high-pressure boardrooms.

Drawing on his rich, first-hand experience, Kevin provides a wide-ranging analysis of the key issues shaping the future of intercollegiate athletics. He highlights key strategies to integrate athletics successfully within higher education, balance financial pressures, and maintain strong alignment with institutional values.

He also discusses the crucial role of philanthropy, relationships, and mentorship in shaping athletic programs and advocates for a balanced and enriching student-athlete experience.

Full of actionable insights and lessons applicable to multiple industries, “The Good Sport” emphasizes the importance of effective leadership, strategic planning, diversity, and preparation for future challenges in achieving and sustaining success.

From the locker room to the boardroom

Athletic director. Professor. Servant leader.

Kevin has worn multiple hats in his 50-year career, yet no single title fully encompasses the impact he has made on intercollegiate athletics.

Credited with reshaping the athletics programs at some of the country's most recognizable colleges and universities, including Tulane University, Duke University, Arizona State University, and the University of Notre Dame, Kevin is also widely recognized as one of the country's most influential college sports leaders.

His focus on innovation, community service and partnerships, and diversity, equity, and inclusion helped transform the business of intercollegiate athletics — amplifying its contributions to the college experience and highlighting its value beyond campus boundaries.

Along the way, he guided his programs to reach 14 national championships and mentored countless student-athletes and staff, more than 30 of whom have gone on to lead athletics programs of their own. He also served in multiple national leadership positions, including the NCAA Council and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) board of directors.

Currently, Kevin is a professor of business administration at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and a senior adviser in Huron’s intercollegiate athletics business.

What people are saying

Kevin White's career spans decades and industries. Read statements from those he's impacted along the way.

For more than a decade, I loved working with Kevin White. He made Duke Athletics and Duke University so much better. In fact, he made the entire college athletics industry better. Kevin leads with his heart and never wavers from the strong values that define him as a person of the highest character. My family and I are incredibly grateful for his friendship, guidance, and the partnership our two families created together.

Mike Krzyzewski, former Duke University and United States Senior National Team head basketball coach

Kevin has all the traits of a great leader. Empathy, humility, and an unwavering belief in his coaches. He had a way of expecting the best from you while continually helping you achieve your potential. He had the rare ability to know what to say, when to say it and also when to step back and listen. If you want to become a great leader, read this book!”

Muffet McGraw, ESPN analyst, former head women’s basketball coach, University of Notre Dame

It is a great benefit to have the opportunity to learn from the long arc of a successful career and remarkable life. By sharing his story and perspective in The Good Sport, Kevin White brings us with him on a journey by combining the many highs with the reality of lessons learned the low points. The result is the kind of book that shares important insight, encourages provocative thinking, and provides a great example of what is accomplished by doing what is important when it is important.

Greg Sankey, commissioner, SEC

Having worked for and been mentored by Kevin White at Notre Dame and Duke, I was fortunate to learn from one of the best leaders in the collegiate athletics industry. Kevin’s book is a reflection of how his early life lessons formed the basis of his management style and the strategies by which he navigated through the ever-changing collegiate environment and culture. The book exudes his brilliance in managing complex daily practical and political college sports challenges. I will forever be indebted to Kevin for his generosity and patience in allowing me to learn from his vast experiences, knowledge and wisdom as I forged my own path within collegiate athletics administration. This book will give its readers a looking glass through which one can understand how and why Kevin White is one of the titans within the industry.

Stan Wilcox, J.D., executive vice president of regulatory affairs, NCAA, former vice president and director of athletics, Florida State University

“Be bold,” is the most treasured advice I received from Kevin White while working together to bridge the collegiate and Olympic/Paralympic landscapes. Kevin is a curious and courageous trailblazer, but more important than all his accomplishments, is his calling as an empathetic educator. He encourages dreamers to aim for the stars and then helps his students reach them. Kevin's clever quips, parables, and hilarious true stories not only draw an audience but leave a lasting impression. His advice is priceless and captured in his page-turner of a book. Thank you for ‘being bold’ and for dedicating your life to helping those around you pursue the stars!

Sarah Wilhelmi, former United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee senior director of collegiate partnerships and teaching professor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs