Academics

Striving for Improvement

Former NFL player Justin King is getting an advanced degree in sport administration through a UM online program.

Justin King won accolades and attention playing for his Gateway High School football team in Pennsylvania before signing with Penn State as one of the program’s most highly touted prospects. He was rated the top cornerback recruit in the country in 2004, and the top football recruit in the state of Pennsylvania.Justin King

King completed his B.A. in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management in 2007. Following his junior year football season, King declared himself eligible for the 2008 NFL draft. He was picked in the fourth round of the draft, 101st overall, by the St. Louis Rams. Over the next 5-plus years, King also played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers. His NFL.com profile called him “as talented a raw athlete as they come.”

In 2017, King hung up his cleats and accepted a position as an assistant recruiting coordinator at his alma mater Penn State. However, he wanted to turn his career into an administrative position and decided to take the next step by enrolling in the University of Miami’s Master of Education - Sport Administration program. King explains: “I was at a point when I was done in the NFL and I felt that I needed to continue to develop academically, and sharpen my tools to be able to get into athletic administration.”

King has a demanding job that sometimes has him working up to 80 hours a week and he is often on the road working nights and weekends. To fit his schedule, King decided the online program would allow him to balance both school and his career.  

UM’s MSED – Sport Administration program is known for its excellent reputation and for fostering networking opportunities with industry leaders. King sees the program as adding some “extra tools to your toolset.”

“The courses I have taken were mirroring what I am doing at work. I am able to apply my own life experiences to supplement what I am learning in class and vice versa.”

As for the future, King says he would like to be a director of player personnel in a college football program or transition into the NFL. “I plan on staying in athletic administration,” he said.