University of Nevada Athletics

Kevin Kikugawa joined the Wolf Pack in 2017 after being hired as the Assistant AD, Director of Sports Medicine.

In his role, Kikugawa oversees the Nevada athletic training department, leading a well-rounded group of full-time athletic trainers, graduate assistants, and student volunteers. In leading the department, he is responsible for developing health care policy & procedure for all the student-athletes at the university as well as maintaining various vendor contracts and budget management tactics.

While he manages the department, he is directly responsible for the health and wellbeing of the football student-athletes acting as the head football athletic trainer. He has taken a strong interest in injury prevention and movement efficiency strategies. It is of his philosophy that many take part in the caring of athletes and regularly works with physicians, physical therapists, strength and conditioning specialists, mental health specialists, and many others in providing great customer service to the student-athletes.

Prior to joining Nevada, he spent the years between 2013-2017 with the SMU Mustangs both as an assistant and an associate athletic trainer on Michael Morton’s staff. While there, he worked with many teams including football, cheer, equestrian, and golf. His main responsibilities were to maintain the budget and oversee the department’s internship program. As a part of the SMU family, he was also given the opportunity to work closely with the sports medicine staff of the Dallas Mavericks and act as part of the host medical staff for the Cotton Bowl with NATA Hall of Famer Cash Birdwell from 2013-2017.

From 2012-2013, he was the athletic trainer and sports medicine teacher at Monroe High school north of Seattle, WA. There he taught four classes of sports medicine, levels one through three, and oversaw the healthcare of the school’s 450 athletes.

Kikugawa began his collegiate career as a student at Washington State University earning his Bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. Upon graduation, he entered the University of Arkansas to begin his athletic training curriculum. In between his two years at Arkansas, he was able to spend the summer with the Buffalo Bills as an intern. After graduation in 2011, he spent the next NFL season with the Cleveland Browns as a seasonal assistant athletic trainer.

Continuing education is very important to him and he consistently preaches this to his staff. In furthering his clinical skills, he has completed NASM’s Corrective Exercise Specialist & Performance Enhancement Specialist programs as well as Functional Anatomy’s Functional Range Release course. He has also been credentialed as a certified strength & conditioning specialist.

Kikugawa is married to the former, Teresa Balam, who is a doctoral candidate also in the field of athletic training. Together they have a son, Kaden Michael and an English Bulldog named Genghis.