about
Coaching
Summary
- 53 years of college experience as rower and coach.
- 2 national teams as rower (1975, 1977).
Club Level
- Club coach at Purdue for 8 years and Virginia (men & women) for 7 years
- Multiple Dad Vail medals
- Purdue victories over Wisconsin in Varsity 8 (1981 & 1982)
- Virginia women National Champions in V4 (1995).
Varsity Level
- Men’s Frosh Coach at Yale for 3 years. Won vs. Harvard in 1985.
- Varsity Women at Virginia for 29 years.
- 2 x NCAA Team Championship.
- 9 x NCAA Boat Championships.
- 22 x ACC Team Championships.
International Level
- 2007 U23 W4x – Gold
- 2008 U23 W8+ – Gold
- 2015 U23 M8+ – Silver
- 2016 Olympic W2x – 6th
- 2019 U23 W4- – Bronze
- 2022 U23 W8+ – Gold
- 19x UVA Women Olympians
Courses, Boathouses & Clinics
Course Design & Installation
- 1984 Olympics Games Construction – Los Angeles
- 1987 Pan-Am Games Design/Construction – Indianapolis
- 1990 Goodwill Games Design/Construction – Seattle
- 1994 World Champs Design/Construction – Indianapolis
- 1996 Olympic Games Design/Construction – Atlanta
Boathouse Design & Construction
- Designed & Built Purdue Boathouse Upgrade in 1979
- Designed Indianapolis’ Eagle Creek Park Boathouse in 1980/81
- Designed & Built UVA Boathouse in 1995
- Design & General Contractor for UVA Addition in 2008
- Design & General Contractor for UVA Expansion in 2015
- Design & General Contractor for UVA Locker Room in 2021
Coaching & Leadership Clinics
- 40 years of teaching technique, training, leadership and teambuilding at USRowing and Joy of Sculling
- 20 years of leadership training for UVA Darden Graduate School of Business Executive Education and UVA Undergraduate classes
Fundraising
- Over $5MM raised for club and varsity programs
“With years of experience and so much knowledge, Kevin Sauer is the perfect person to help any rowing program with the vast array of issues it faces. Clubs and teams at all levels will benefit from Kevin’s wisdom, insight and problem-solving skills.”
“I have had the privilege of working alongside Kevin, and his depth of knowledge in rowing, combined with his ability to connect with athletes and coaches, is unparalleled. Kevin’s expertise in boathouse organization, training techniques, and team-building strategies is second to none. He has a unique talent for assessing a program’s strengths and identifying areas for growth, making his insights invaluable to any team looking to elevate their performance.
Kevin’s passion for the sport and years of experience make him an exceptional consultant. I highly recommend his services to any rowing program seeking to enhance their operations and achieve their goals.”
Kevin’s passion for the sport and years of experience make him an exceptional consultant. I highly recommend his services to any rowing program seeking to enhance their operations and achieve their goals.”
“Kevin is the best of the best! I had the honor of rowing for Kevin and coaching alongside him at UVA. His unique ability to break down and simplify the stroke is unmatched. Kevin thoughtfully creates his training plans and challenges his athletes to exceed their limits. It is no coincidence that many of his athletes have progressed to compete on their respective Olympic teams, maintaining high levels of performance without burnout. Kevin also cultivates an impressive culture, valuing every member from the 1st 8 to the 5th 8.
From racing a double for a small high school to winning 4 ACC Championships, 2 NCAA National Championships, 4 World Championships, and stroking the US Olympic Women’s 8+, I attribute much of my success to Kevin Sauer.”
From racing a double for a small high school to winning 4 ACC Championships, 2 NCAA National Championships, 4 World Championships, and stroking the US Olympic Women’s 8+, I attribute much of my success to Kevin Sauer.”
“I feel lucky to have met Kevin when he coached my U23 quad (to a gold) because it was the start of my learning from his technical expertise and rowing wisdom. I returned to Charlottesville to train under his eye for training trips throughout my career in the single. Kevin has a passion for the sport that is contagious so that I not only got faster by working on skills and fitness but also due to the enthusiasm!”
For 15 years I had the honor to work with and alongside Kevin, sharing a boathouse and program at UVA. Kevin is an entrepreneur, a builder and a visionary. His pragmatism and skill to make something out of nothing is second to none. How to raise money, how to get buy-in from the community, how to involve current stakeholders and recruit new ones? When Kevin came to UVA there was literally nothing and he turned UVA Rowing into a powerhouse even before the women turned Varsity. I highly recommend him to any program (junior, college, club) with ambitions to learn from his knowledge and enthusiasm.
Nobody has had a bigger impact on me as an athlete or a coach than Kevin Sauer. As a novice walk-on at UVA, Kevin was a constant source of coaching, mentoring and inspiration for me during my undergraduate years. He continued to be a resource, friend and coach to me as I worked my way up to National and Olympic Teams. Now, as a collegiate coach, Kevin is almost always the first call I make when I need advice or just want to talk something through. His passion for the sport is infectious to coaches and athletes alike, and there is no one better at bringing out the best in those around him.