David Toelle’s work ethic, loyalty, longevity and patience at Kansas Wesleyan have been rewarded.
Toelle ’01, ’08, sports information director since 2001, has been promoted to associate athletic director of athletics communications.
“For me this is a promotion that has been waiting for a very long time,” KWU Director of Athletics Miguel Paredes said in making the announcement. “David has tremendous knowledge of Kansas Wesleyan athletics — to me, he’s like a history book. Any information you want, he has it. When you think of Kansas Wesleyan athletics, you think of David Toelle.”
Toelle has been at KWU since 1996, when he arrived as a freshman, member of the cross country team and aspiring athletic trainer. Toelle changed his major to Computer Information Systems and after completion of his degree in 2001, and worked part-time in the information technology office and in the athletics office before taking on the SID full-time in 2005. During his time, he has established himself as one of the top SIDs in the Kansas Conference and all of small college athletics.
Former longtime Director of Athletics Jerry Jones installed Toelle as fulltime sports information director in 2005.
“Best hire I ever had,” Jones said last summer.
Some of Toelle’s accomplishments:
KCAC statistician for seven years
Statistician for KCAC tournament soccer, basketball, baseball and softball
Helped develop the KWU athletic department website
Mentored the development of the Coyote Sports Network
Pioneered the development of live video productions at KWU events
KWU Young Alumnus Award winner, 2011
KCAC Sports Information Director of the Year, 2012 and 2020
Inductee in the Coyote Athletic Hall of Fame, 2022
“It is extremely humbling,” Toelle said of the promotion. “It’s something that I’ve hoped for and hoped would come, but sometimes you just have to be patient and wait. Good things come to those who wait and those who put in the time and the effort to make things happen.
“When I first stepped into this position, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had the opportunity to have some strong mentors and some people who helped along the way. Being able to develop my skills put me in the position that I am in now.”
The promotion will allow Toelle to assume more of a leadership role within the department, according to Paredes.
“It’s more of the hands-on, it’s more of us solidifying a graduate assistant for him, so that way he can oversee a lot more of the events that he would like to do,” he said. “This gives him the ability to delegate certain responsibilities when it comes to sports information, game-day administration and the live stream.
“I go back to my coaching days: You have your head coach, then you have your coordinators — David’s like a coordinator. He knows exactly what type of offense and defense we’re going to run; he knows exactly how we’re going to do it.”
Under Toelle’s guidance, KWU has become a leader in the live stream of athletic events. He frequently coordinates KCAC championship events, as well, along with nonathletic events on campus.
“I go back to a comment that was made to us by a parent that kind of critiqued our live streaming,” Paredes said. “They saw the stream and their email response was, ‘Oh my, best ever. Did you hire a professional crew?’ I said, ‘No, that was David Toelle and his staff.’ He takes a lot of pride in his work.”
Toelle credits the university for allowing him to enhance and grow the stream.
“When we got into streaming, we were using a junky camera that people would laugh at,” he said. “Now we’re using industry standard equipment. We’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to get those things and put those things in place.
“I can do some of the tech stuff, but when the magic happens, that’s just the good group of people that we have.”
Richard Speas, director of athletic recruiting and fundraising, knows the effect of Toelle’s work.
“In the past 11 months, our athletic website had 1.5 million views,” he said. “Is that impactful to branding and marketing opportunities? I think the answer is yes, and I think most people would look at that and say, ‘Wow, that’s impressive.’
“Dave is extremely involved in game-day operations — more so than most SIDs, and I’ve been at various institutions. Not only from a technology standpoint, obviously, but he does a lot of other things, as well, like getting personnel lined up and accompanying them.”
Helping the athletics department grow is Toelle’s top objective.
“I hope that someday we’ll get to a point that in some sport we can claim a national title or we can get individuals to win national titles,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal, and it’s the goal for everyone in the room and everyone on campus. I think we have plenty of opportunities to continue to grow and make ourselves known on the national scene in all sports.”
Paredes said he knew of Toelle before taking over the department in January.
“A gentleman from Columbia College (Mo.) who found out that I got the job here at Kansas Wesleyan told me, ‘It’s an amazing place; you’ll be working with a living legend. Your SID is amazing,'” said Paredes, who came to KWU from Missouri.
“David is known not just throughout the KCAC but throughout the NAIA for his work and what he’s done.”
What others at KWU are saying:
“David Toelle is a Kansas Wesleyan institution. His work not only increases the exposure of our teams but it betters the student-athlete experience by providing some of the best coverage, dollar-for-dollar, in the state. He’s been a leader in his field for years and is constantly thinking of ways to make his results, and thus Kansas Wesleyan, better.” — Ken Oliver, executive vice president for advancement and university operations
“David is Kansas Wesleyan. What he has done to enhance the athletic department is second to none, not only in the KCAC but the NAIA, as well. He is a tireless worker who gives his time and effort to make sure every program here is represented to the highest level possible.” — Anthony Monson, men’s basketball coach
“David is the legend of SIDs in the KCAC. He does a great job of pushing the limits on technology and vision in sports. He is the hidden gem to our successful teams since he has been at KWU.” — Jessica Biegert, women’s volleyball coach
“David does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for KWU athletics. Many hours are spent making sure we are the standard in sports information not only in our conference but regionally as well.” — Ryan Showman, women’s basketball coach
“David continues to make the KWU experience for students and families better every year. He has set the standard for SIDs in the conference and the country.” — Matt Myers, football coach
