Willis Pooler is in his fifth year as Lindsey Wilson College's director of athletics.  

Under Pooler's direction, Lindsey Wilson athletics has become one of the top NAIA programs in the nation. The athletic department has advanced in personnel, academics, fund-raising and sheer numbers under Pooler's tenure.

Since 2002, the number of student-athletes has increased 18.5 percent, including the initiation of the women's basketball junior varsity program. Lindsey Wilson has set records with the annual Athletic Auction in each of the four years under Pooler.

Pooler helped secure a $5000 gift from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to help sponsor the Lindsey Wilson College Athletic Hall of Fame banquet.

The athletic department partnered with the Adair County Little League to build an indoor practice facility for baseball and softball. The initiation the Student-Athlete Academic Program, which requires supervised study for student-athletes with a grade point average below 2.25, in 2002, helped the varsity programs to record a 3.11 overall GPA during the 2006-07 academic year.

Pooler's direction has enable Lindsey Wilson athletics to make significant steps to becoming one of the elite athletic programs in the NAIA. Lindsey Wilson finished sixth last season in the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), United States Sports Academy and USA TODAY, which is a season-long competition that awards points based on postseason finish within a sport. The Blue Raiders have finished in the top-10 in the Directors' Cup the past three seasons.

Prior to becoming director of athletics, Pooler led the Lindsey Wilson women's soccer program for three seasons. In his three years, Pooler guided the Blue Raiders to a 57-13-2 record, including the program's first appearance in the NAIA Women's Soccer National Semifinals.

Pooler led the Blue Raiders to the program's first two 20-win seasons and a 27-2-2 all-time home record. Pooler was named the Mid‑South Conference Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002 and NAIA Region XI and NSCAA NAIA‑South Coach of the Year in 2001.

Before taking over the LWC women's program in 2000, Pooler spent five seasons as an assistant coach for the Lindsey Wilson men's soccer team, which won NAIA National Championships in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999.

A native of Tampa, Florida, Pooler is a 1993 Lindsey Wilson graduate. He was captain of the Blue Raider soccer team in 1992, the same year the Blue Raiders reached the NAIA National Tournament for the first time.

He was a two‑time All‑KIAC midfielder, and still ranks 16th on the school's list of career scoring leaders with 54 points in his three seasons.

Pooler and his wife Traci, have three sons, Tanner, Jacob and Lucas.

Profile  

Birthdate: June 27, 1970

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Family: Wife Traci, Sons Tanner, Jacob and Lucas

  Education  

High School: Leto High 1988

College: Lindsey Wilson College 1993

Western Kentucky University 2002 (MBA)