American International College named Rob Kearney, MS, ATC, LAT, to the position of director of athletics effective July 7, 2025. Kearney brings more than a decade of athletic training and leadership experience to this role and will oversee the College's portfolio of NCAA Division II athletic programs.
The appointment follows Kearney's prior tenure as Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Performance, in which he oversaw a transformational restructuring of the department and rebuilt all aspects of the College's Athletic Training and Strength and Conditioning programs.
Prior to arriving at AIC in August 2024, Kearney served as an athletic trainer at Springfield Central High School and was head athletic trainer for the men's club ice hockey program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst from 2014-2024. He has held roles at a number of local institutions including the Williston Northampton School, Deerfield Academy, and Palmer Public Schools. Kearney and his husband Joey also own and operate CrossFit Iron Legacy in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
Beyond his experience in athletic training and coaching, Kearney's record includes a fifteen-year career of professional competition: In 2023, he finished third in the America's Strongest Man competition and has a personal record of 961 pounds in the deadlift. He has competed in the World's Strongest Man competition five times and the Arnold Strongman Classic three times. In 2020 he was awarded the title of "Pound for Pound Strongest Man in the World" by Official Strongman.
Kearney currently serves on the Executive Board of the OUT Foundation and previously was the Massachusetts State Representative for the National Athletic Trainers' Association's (NATA) LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee. He holds a Master of Science in Advanced Athletic Training with a concentration in Athletic Rehabilitation and a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Springfield College and is a Massachusetts Licensed Athletic Trainer.
