Kevin Gray

Kevin M. Gray went “onward and upward” on June 15, 2011, after a courageous battle with a rare form of bone cancer. A rosary will be prayed for Kevin and his family at 5 p.m., Monday, June 20, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 11822 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Mo., followed by a visitation with the family at the church from 5:30-8 p.m. Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, June 21, also at St. Thomas More. Following the Memorial Mass, a celebration of Kevin’s life will take place from 1:00-5:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 21, at the Midland Theatre, 1228 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo. Kevin instructed Katy to ask everyone attending Monday’s visitation to wear a jersey or sports apparel featuring their favorite team.

Kevin was born on December 22, 1959 to Eugene and Nadine Gray. Kevin grew up in south Kansas City and attended St. Thomas More grade school and Rockhurst High School. He graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., in 1982. Kevin’s lifelong love of sports began with his love of basketball, which he played fervently from a very young age. He played at Benedictine as a non-scholarship, walk-on player.

Kevin’s professional career in sports began in 1982 as the sports director and occasional sportscaster at KFRU Radio in Columbia, Missouri. Two years later, he joined Learfield Communications as the director of marketing and programming, helping launch the Kansas Jayhawk Network; he also coordinated programming and radio advertising on the Iowa State Cyclone, Oklahoma State Cowboy and Missouri Tiger Radio Networks.

In 1986, Kevin joined the Kansas City Royals as the assistant director of marketing and broadcasting. His responsibilities included special events and promotions, publication sales, and coordination of scoreboard operations and stadium atmosphere. He loved to tell anyone who would listen that he was responsible for the first Bruce Springsteen song to be played during a Royals game — merely one of countless Bruce-related stories.

Since 1989, Kevin has served as the president of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation. Over the past 22 years, he led the revitalization of the Sports Commission from a one-person office (ably supplemented by the volunteer assistance of Katy) to a multi-faceted, privately funded non-profit operation that includes year-round programming, services and initiatives, more than 150 annual events, over 800 individual and business members, and 13 fulltime associates.

Sports Commission accomplishments include founding the Women’s Intersport Network (WIN for KC) in 1994; a lead role in attracting the Kansas Speedway; helping direct successful ballot initiatives to build the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City and transform Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums at the Harry S Truman Sports Complex; and helping establish the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Experience. In all, the Sports Commission has helped generate more than $700 million in economic impact since 1989.

In 2005, Kevin helped form the SportKC initiative supporting numerous local charities, including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Children's Center for the Visually Impaired, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Brain Injury Association and Head for the Cure Foundation. More recently, the Sports Commission formed a for-profit national subsidiary called Event United that provides online registration support for fund raising events.

Kevin was a founding member and charter trustee of the National Association of Sports Commissions, an organization representing 600 member groups in more than 300 cities. Last week, Kevin was awarded the NASC Distinguished Achievement Award for his longtime service and support of the NASC; he is the first recipient of the award.

Kevin held board and advisory positions with numerous educational, charitable and civic organizations, including Benedictine College, Rockhurst University, Avila College, St. Joseph Health Center, YMCA of Greater Kansas City, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Mayor’s Task Force on Race Relations and Sports, Union Station Assistance Corporation, Missouri State Sports Commission, and others.

The light of Kevin’s life was his family. Kevin treasured his wife of 23 years, Katy (Befort). They were blessed with four smart and beautiful daughters — Lindsay, Caroline, Peepers and Gigi. He cherished their caring natures, abundant talents and zest for life. Despite the demands of the Sports Commission, he rarely missed a game. He was devoted to the Gray and Befort clans (especially mother-in-law and housemate, GMa), and friends from St. Thomas More, St. Teresa’s Academy and Benedictine College. Kevin is survived by his parents, his sister Diane and husband Mario Corea (Barcelona, Spain), and his sister Nancy. He was preceded in death by his brother Daniel.

Kevin was endlessly upbeat and positive — closing nearly every communication with an inspirational sign-off, such as Bring It, Love and Laughter, and his favorite: Onward and Upward. He was a devoted Catholic who drew strength from his faith throughout his life. He loved the Kansas City community and closely followed local politics and government. He remained always opinionated, but rarely partisan. Kevin never met a stranger and maintained friendships from childhood, the Rock, BC, summers in P-Town, the girls’ schools and sports teams, previous jobs, and countless Sports Commission projects. He especially loved to connect young adults with mentors from the long list of his many contacts around Kansas City. Kevin’s active and accomplished life ended tragically short — he will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Kevin Gray Family Educational Fund (in care of Country Club Bank, 11181 Overbrook, Suite 100, Leawood, Kan., 66211), to St. Teresa's Academy, Benedictine College or the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission.