Troy Kema - Associate A.D. / Player Development & Student-Athlete Services - Football Support Staff

Troy Kema

Title:
Associate A.D. / Player Development & Student-Athlete Services

Troy Kema heads into the 2021 season as his third on the Texas Tech staff as he serves as the Associate Athletics Director for player development and student-athlete services. He arrived in Lubbock after spending the previous four seasons in a similar capacity at the University of Kansas.

The football program’s involvement in the Lubbock area falls under Kema’s prevue as he oversees the Red Raiders’ community service projects and life skills curriculum. In addition, Kema serves as the liaison to the academic staff at the Marsha Sharp Center for Student-Athletes as well as a mentor for each Red Raider during their time as a student-athlete.

In only two years, the Red Raiders have developed into a frequent contributor in the Lubbock area with more than 2,000 hours of community service completed during that time. That effort hasn’t gone unnoticed, either, as Texas Tech ranked 10th for service hours logged among FBS programs who utilize the Helper Helper app in 2020 before jumping up to No. 2 nationally this past year.

The Red Raiders increased their community service involvement by 350 hours from Kema’s first season to his second as he helps organize the Special Spectator program as well as visits to various elementary and middle schools in the area and other worthy organizations. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Raiders took precautions to eventually volunteer for 39 different opportunities over the calendar year with 19 different organizations.

Kema, who boasts a strong background in student-athlete advising, oversaw many of the same areas during his four-year stay at Kansas where he was the Director of Player Personnel and Student Services. Kema developed all aspects of player development and educational programing for football student-athletes at Kansas and also served as the liaison for the academic support, NCAA compliance and public relations offices as well as any NFL scouts or personnel.

During his time in Lawrence, Kema helped develop the Jayhawk 101 program, which included weekly educational and training sessions for all incoming student-athletes. He also created an internship program for football student-athletes in concert with the KU Leads organization.

Kema joined the Kansas football staff after previously serving as the Assistant Athletics Director for academic services at Texas A&M where he oversaw all academic counseling for football and basketball student-athletes. Kema spent a total of nine years in College Station as he was previously a senior scholastic supervisor prior to his promotion to Assistant A.D. in 2013.

In addition to his time at Texas A&M, Kema worked as an assistant director of academics at both Colorado (2003-06) and his alma mater, Utah State (2000-03). He is a member of the National Association for Academic Advisers for Athletics and belongs to the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association.

Kema played alongside Matt Wells during their final two seasons together at Utah State where he was a two-year starter at offensive guard and an Academic All-Big West first team honoree as a senior. Kema, who was named a team captain during his final season, transferred to Utah State from Dixie Junior College where he earned All-Western States first team accolades.

Kema graduated from Utah State with a degree in sociology in 1998. He later earned a graduate degree in educational counseling from the University of Phoenix.

Kema and his wife Stephanie have four children: Kailee, Noah, Malia and Isaiah.