Kirk Crawford is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Wichita State University. He is responsible for recruiting, player development, and defense.
In his first three seasons at WSU, Crawford had an immediate impact, helping the Shockers to the NCAA Tournament for the first three times in program history. Wichita State won the regular- and post-season Missouri Valley Conference championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015 while setting school records for wins and defensive scoring average. His efforts helped the Shockers record the second-best field goal percentage defense in school history and third-best shot-blocking total. WSU's scoring defense in 2015 ranked No. 4 in the country at 51.8 points per game.
Crawford has held women’s coaching positions at Drake, Providence, Southern Mississippi and Air Force and was a volunteer assistant for the WNBA's Portland Fire. He has also coached the men’s game at Southern Utah University, University of Portland, and Portland State University.
At Drake, Crawford guided center Rachael Hackbarth to Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and All-America honors. During his tenure at Air Force, Crawford helped coach Raimee Beck to two-straight all-Mountain West Conference selections and to become just the 12th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point threshold during her career.
At Drake Crawford helped lead the team to the MVC Tournament Championship game and an appearance in the WNIT. During his four-year tenure at Southern Miss (2004-08), he helped turn the Golden Eagles into one of the most successful programs in Conference USA and helped lead the team to a WNIT berth in 2008.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Crawford has assists in training and developing NBA and WNBA players during the offseason. He has NBA experience with the Denver Nuggets and is involved with numerous NBA teams during Pre-Draft Combine Camps.
A two-sport athlete at Western State College (Colo.), Crawford earned a bachelor's degree in physical education. He was a multi-year letterwinner in both basketball and baseball at WSC and played professionally in the Oakland A’s minor league organization.
Crawford resides in Wichita with his wife, Margie, and twin boys, Zachary and Nolan.
