Carl Heinrich Position: Director of Athletics Institution: Johnson County Community College

The leader behind one of the nation's more successful athletics programs, Carl Heinrich begins his eighth season as athletics director at Johnson County Community College. Heinrich has guided JCCC through some of the school's most dynamic times since assuming the position as JCCC's fourth athletics director in the fall of 2000. Heinrich has been associated with Johnson County, either as a coach or administrator since the fall of 1991. He oversees a 39-year-old department that now fields 18 varsity sports, and continues to lead the Johnson County Community College athletics program in a positive direction.

The hallmark of Heinrich's time as the JCCC's athletics director has been the overall excellence of his entire program, with every Cavaliers' sport achieving a new pinnacle. During his tenure at Johnson County Community College, the Cavaliers have claimed six of the school's eight NJCAA National Championships, 36 NJCAA Region VI titles and and 41 Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Eastern Division titles. Additionally under Heinrich's guidance, a total of 86 teams have earned NJCAA National Tournament berths, with 31 finishing among the top-five nationally. In addition, 314 athletes have earned NJCAA All-America accolades under Heinrich.

Along with the unprecedented on-the-field successes, JCCC also reached new heights in the classroom. During the past seven years, Johnson County student-athletes have earned 76 NJCAA Academic All-America accolades and nearly 60 percent of the student-athletes at JCCC maintained a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Heinrich also served three years as treasurer for the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators, and last summer was selected to serve as third vice president of NATYCAA.

Heinrich arrived at JCCC in 1991 after serving as head baseball coach at Highland Community College. A 1978 graduate of the University of Kansas, Heinrich was a former co-captain for the Jayhawks baseball team and served as a graduate assistant.

Heinrich earned his master's degree from Northwest Missouri State University in 1985. Heinrich and his wife, Debbie, have three sons: Kyle, Cal, and C.J.