Roger Welsh
Director of Athletics
ph: (614) 236-6528
e-mail: rwelsh@capital.edu
One term that ripples through Capital University student-athletes, coaches and staff is family. One person that best fits and has fostered the idea of the "CAP FAMILY" is Director of Athletics Roger Welsh.

He assumed the top spot in the athletics department in 1992 and has overseen one of the most exciting times in the history of Capital sports. Like any good family man, Welsh has provided the "CAP family" with a solid foundation, a strong sense of purpose, the opportunity for unparalleled growth and the constant striving to excel so that each class of student-athletes may get more from the college experience.

The solid foundation is a literal interpretation as Welsh was one of the campus leaders behind the funding, planning and design of the $20 million dollar multi-purpose recreational and athletic complex, The Capital Center that opened in the Fall of 2001. Welsh's leadership made the dream of a state-of-the art facility to honor and continue Capital's long-standing athletic tradition a reality.

Welsh's sense of purpose and dedication to excellence on and off the field has been the hallmark of his entire career in athletics. The most current examples of this are the development and implementation of a student-athlete and parent code of conduct along with a comprehensive drug and alcohol-testing program. The creation of a student-athlete advisory committee, the organization of bringing in sport psychologists to counsel and aid student-athletes in everything from time and stress management to substance abuse issues are among policy highlights put in under Welsh. He continues to reach out to former Crusaders with expansion of the scope and involvement of the Alumni Varsity "C" Association in sponsoring events to support current teams, organize reunions and other events to allow student-athletes of the past to reap the benefits of their work and dedication.

Aside from the obvious current growth in facilities, Welsh has overseen many other expansions in the department, such as hosting NCAA Championship events, highlighted by the 1995 NCAA Women's Basketball Division III Semifinal and Championship games. He has spearheaded the addition of varsity sports, including the additions of women's golf, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field and the constant growth of the full-time athletics staff.

One might think after all this through his 30 years with Capital that Welsh should sit back and cultivate all that he has helped create - think again. Welsh is constantly driven to continue forward, with such projects as the addition of more varsity sports, community outreach while marketing and promoting the Crusaders. He also is a leader among his peers as the current president of the Ohio Athletic Conference.

The Grandview, Ohio, native became part of the Capital family in 1975 as head baseball and assistant football coach. In 1986, he became head football coach and spent 11 seasons on the sidelines. After spending the final five seasons of his coaching days as both football coach and athletic director, he relinquished his coaching duties to spend all of his time guiding the athletic department. The highlight of his coaching career came in 1987 as the Crusader football team claimed the school's only Ohio Athletic Conference football title and made its first-ever and only appearance in the NCAA Playoffs. For his efforts that season Welsh was named OAC Coach of the Year.

Welsh, a 1964 graduate of Muskingum College, was an All-OAC football and baseball standout for the Muskies. On the football field, he was a defensive back and return specialist, who ranks second in career punt return yards (542) and sixth in career kickoff return yards (590). On the diamond, he played second base, hit .480, drove in 18 runs, had five doubles and six stolen bases, all team-highs as a junior in 1963. Upon graduation he became a graduate assistant baseball coach at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he worked for legendary Bobcat coach Bob Wren while earning a Master’s degree in Education in 1966.

Van Wert High School in Van Wert, Ohio, was the next stop for Welsh as he spent a year as a teacher, head baseball and assistant football coach. In 1967, Welsh started his career in the collegiate ranks, as he became head baseball coach and assistant football coach at The College of Wooster. He would spend eight years at Wooster before coming to Capital.

Welsh has been honored for his work on and off the field as he has been inducted into both the Grandview High School Hall of Fame and the Muskingum College Athletic Hall of Fame. He and his wife Cheri, a 1973 Capital graduate, reside in Gahanna, Ohio.