Omaha Hockey Hall of Fame coach and longtime administrator Mike Kemp has announced his retirement from the department effective this May.
Kemp arrived at the University of Nebraska Omaha as its first head hockey coach on July 1, 1996. He was elevated to the position of associate athletic director in May 2009 after serving as the head hockey coach for 12 years. In March 2019, he was further elevated to the position of senior associate athletic director – events/facilities. In Nov. 2021, Kemp was named executive associate athletic director.
In his current role, he has sport oversight of the hockey program as well as all facilities and event management. His facility management responsibilities placed him in a position to oversee the design and construction of several landmark campus athletic facilities such as the Hamilton Academic Excellence Room (2011), the conversion of Caniglia Field into one of the premier soccer facilities in college athletics (2012) and the design and construction of Baxter Arena (2011-15).
As the head coach of a start-up program, Kemp built the Mavericks into a model of consistency throughout his tenure as the head coach. After two years of play as an independent, the Mavericks were admitted into the CCHA in 1999 where they quickly established themselves as a respected program. In 10 years of league play under Kemp’s guidance, UNO had an average sixth-place finish in the 12-team league and earned home playoff games in eight of those 10 years. Kemp also placed players on one of the CCHA all-league teams in eight of those 10 years. Both of those accomplishments were surpassed only by Michigan.
“This is a bittersweet moment as we lose an incredible leader at UNO and in the industry, yet we are also excited for Coach Kemp as he begins an exciting new chapter with his retirement”, said Adrian Dowell, vice chancellor-director of athletics, in a statement. “Although his accolades are numerous, his true legacy is evident by the number of lives he impacted as a coach, administrator, and leader in the college hockey landscape. I am so grateful to Mike for his leadership, friendship, and mentorship. Over the next few months, we will be working diligently to appropriately honor Coach Kemp for his incredible service to our institution, community, and industry.”
From its first year of league play, the Mavericks established themselves as a tough opponent. In that first season, the Mavs defeated 11 of 12 CCHA opponents while ending the season with a runner-up finish at the conference tournament.
For his work, Kemp was named a finalist for the CCHA coach of the year award and a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Trophy for the national coach of the year. Kemp also was named a finalist for both awards two more times, making him a finalist three times in his 12 years behind the bench at UNO. He was named the CCHA coach of the year in 2005 when UNO was the most improved team in college hockey, winning 11 more games than the previous season and finishing fourth in the CCHA, advancing to the CCHA Super Six championship tournament.
Many highlights marked the history of Maverick hockey under Kemp’s direction. The 2000-01 team posted 24 wins, the most in a single season in UNO hockey history and a record that still stands today. The 17-5-0 home record that the team achieved is also the best home record in program history. The team ended the season ranked 13th in the nation, one spot from a berth in the NCAA tournament.
In 2003, the program closed out its six-year run at the Omaha Civic Auditorium having sold out 131 consecutive games at 8,314 people per game. In 2005-06 – the Mavericks’ ninth season – the team made its initial appearance in the NCAA tournament which, at the time, was the fastest a team had qualified for the NCAA tournament from program inception.
“Congratulations to Coach Kemp on an outstanding career that has left a lasting impact on hockey in Omaha and nationwide,” UNO Chancellor Joanne Li said. “Mike’s leadership, dedication, and commitment have not only shaped champions but also positively influenced countless lives both on and off the ice. Here’s to a retirement well-deserved and to a legacy that will endure through the years.”
In Kemp’s tenure at the helm of the Maverick hockey program, the Mavericks became a national leader in college hockey attendance, a tradition that continues today. Kemp coached five All-Americans while at Omaha and had a total of 12 all-CCHA players in the 10 years he coached in the league.
Prior to UNO, Kemp spent 20 years as an assistant coach. He came to Omaha from Wisconsin where he served as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for 14 seasons (1981-82 and 1983-1996).
During his time in Madison, Kemp coached under U.S. college hockey coaching legends Badger Bob Johnson (1981-82) and Jeff Sauer (1983-1996). As the head recruiter, Kemp secured some of the most talented players in Wisconsin hockey history. Twelve went on to play in the Olympics, 16 earned first or second team All-American, and four were named WCHA players of the year. In his tenure, the Badgers won one regular-season championship, four WCHA playoff titles, appeared in nine NCAA tournaments, finishing runners-up twice, and winning one national championship in 1990.
Kemp spent one season (1982-83) as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Illinois-Chicago. He began his coaching career in 1976 at his alma mater, Gustavus Adolphus, where he served as the assistant coach from 1976 to 1981.
In his coaching career, Kemp was known for having teams that were active in community service. Annually, Kemp encouraged his teams to volunteer, raising money for groups as varied as Estabrook Cancer Center, Wounded Warriors, Make-A-Wish, Special Olympics, the Susan B. Komen Cancer research, the Boy and Girls Club, and many other charitable organizations.
“I am so excited to celebrate the great career and retirement of Coach Kemp. He has made such an impact on my life, first recruiting me as an 18-year-old and now as a colleague and friend,” current Omaha coach Mike Gabinet said. “He had the vision and determination to set the foundation for what this program is today. There would not be Omaha hockey or Baxter Arena without Mike Kemp. My family and I sincerely wish him the best in retirement with Julie, his daughters and all the grandkids.”
Kemp has modeled community involvement in his own life. During his coaching career, he served on the board of governors of the American Hockey Coaches Association, serving as a second vice-president from 2000 to 2003. He was a member of the board of directors of the Special Olympics of Nebraska from 2002 to 2014. He was a board member of the Nebraska Sports Council from 2015 to 2018. Kemp also served as a board member of the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame.
On top of those, Kemp served on the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee from 2017 to 2022 and was the chair of the six-member committee from 2020 to 2022. He also played a hand in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee from 2013 to 2018.
In 2009, in recognition of the contributions Kemp had made to the Omaha hockey community, he was inducted into the Omaha Hockey Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2020, in recognition of the management of the NCHC Pod and in steering the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Committee through its first COVID-19 NCAA championship, Kemp received the NCHC Commissioners award for leadership to hockey. To this day, he is the only such recipient in the history of the conference.
“Forty-eight years in college athletics… it’s been the trip of a lifetime. To be given the opportunity to start a program from scratch, and then to be able to have been a part of every major decision in that program from its inception until today, is such a rare experience. I have been truly blessed,” Kemp said. “Thank you to the University of Nebraska Omaha and the city of Omaha for giving our family so much support for the past 28 years. I am extremely grateful to Don Leahy, Connie Claussen, Del Weber and the original hockey committee for believing in me back in 1996 and giving me the chance to build this hockey program. The experiences I have had and the people I have met throughout my career have truly been a light in my life. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank my family, my mentors, my assistants, all the hockey players who have been a part of Maverick Hockey, my colleagues, and everyone who has supported me throughout my career. You all hold a special place in my life.
“I will always be a Maverick.”
