Steve Miller (athletics)
Encyclopedia
Steve Miller is an American athlete, coach
and businessman from Chicago
.
at Bradley University
in Peoria
and Governors State University
in University Park
, earning respectively Bachelor of Science
degrees in English Literature
and Physical Education
and a Masters of Arts
degree in Contemporary English Literature. Thereafter, he relocated to San Luis Obispo, California
to receive a Master of Science
degree from California Polytechnic State University
.
with the NFL team Detroit Lions
, a career path that ended with an injury to his knee after only four exhibition games. After ten years teaching track and English in Chicago's Bloom Township High School, Miller became head coach at California Polytechnic State University
until 1981, moving into the same position at Kansas State University
until 1987. After a year as president of the Special Olympics
in Pennsylvania
, Miller returned to Kansas State University to serve for four years as Director of Athletics.
, from June 1991 to September 2000, serving successively as Director of Athletics, Director of Global Sports Marketing, Director of National Sports Marketing, Director of Sports Marketing Asia Pacific and Director of Global Sports Marketing Relations. He relinquished his position with Nike following conflict with Phil Knight
. In 2000, he took the position of director of the Professional Bowlers Association
(PBA), a position he retained until 2005. During his time with the PBA, where he "was hired to make bowling relevant" according to ABC News
, Miller stood as a primary focus for the documentary film A League of Ordinary Gentleman, which spotlighted his efforts to transform the PBA "into a slicker, more colorful media-friendly package".
He is a faculty member at the University of Oregon
, serving since 2005 as a senior analyst and adjunct professor at the Lundquist Business School and Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and businessman from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Early life
Born in Chicago, Miller attended college in his home state of IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
at Bradley University
Bradley University
Bradley University, founded in 1897, is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students and a full-time faculty of approximately 350....
in Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and Governors State University
Governors State University
Governors State University is a public university located in University Park, Illinois. The campus is located south of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1969, GSU is an upper-division university, offering undergraduate courses at the junior and senior levels as well as graduate level coursework at...
in University Park
University Park, Illinois
University Park is a village in Will County, Illinois. A very small parcel is in Cook County. University Park has been the home of Governors State University since 1969...
, earning respectively Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degrees in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
and a Masters of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in Contemporary English Literature. Thereafter, he relocated to San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
to receive a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree from California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
.
Athletics
In 1965, Miller played professional American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
with the NFL team Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, a career path that ended with an injury to his knee after only four exhibition games. After ten years teaching track and English in Chicago's Bloom Township High School, Miller became head coach at California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
until 1981, moving into the same position at Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
until 1987. After a year as president of the Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Miller returned to Kansas State University to serve for four years as Director of Athletics.
Business
When Miller left his position at Kansas State, he entered the world of business. He spent nine years with NikeNike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, from June 1991 to September 2000, serving successively as Director of Athletics, Director of Global Sports Marketing, Director of National Sports Marketing, Director of Sports Marketing Asia Pacific and Director of Global Sports Marketing Relations. He relinquished his position with Nike following conflict with Phil Knight
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson "Phil" Knight is an American business magnate. He is the co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc. He resigned as the company's chief executive officer in 2004, while retaining the position of chairman of the board...
. In 2000, he took the position of director of the Professional Bowlers Association
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
(PBA), a position he retained until 2005. During his time with the PBA, where he "was hired to make bowling relevant" according to ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, Miller stood as a primary focus for the documentary film A League of Ordinary Gentleman, which spotlighted his efforts to transform the PBA "into a slicker, more colorful media-friendly package".
He is a faculty member at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, serving since 2005 as a senior analyst and adjunct professor at the Lundquist Business School and Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.