San Diego Metropolitan - 40 Under 40

As the 39-year-old general manager of the San Diego Spirit, the city’s first professional women’s soccer team, Kevin Crow supervises an office staff of 23 people and another 23 players on the team. Among his duties are local marketing and promotions, local and regional broadcast contract negotiations, venue selection, front office staffing and team development.

Crow has the right background for his job: From 1983 to 1992, he was a star defender for the San Diego Sockers, helping the team to eight world team indoor soccer championships. He was an eight-time all-star and five-time defender of the year. In addition, Crow was on the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Men’s Olympic Soccer teams. A graduate of San Diego State University, he was inducted into the school’s Aztec Hall of Fame in 1989 and named one of San Diego’s Top 100 Soccer Leaders at a 1999 MLS Salute to Soccer VIP reception. Along with his soccer career, Crow has worked in professional positions at the San Diego-based Mesa Distributing Co. and Zipdirect.

Originally from the Bay Area, Crow married his high school sweetheart in 1985. They have three children, Kendalle, 13, Kellen, 8, and Kamron, 5. For the past five years, he has coached American Youth Soccer Organization league teams and now coaches his daughter’s AYSO team for players age 12 and 13.

“I’ve always tried to coach my son or daughter’s team, just to be involved and spend time with them,” Crow says. “It’s personally very rewarding and also is a way to give back to soccer, which has been very good to me.