Posted: Jul 09, 2020
Kyle Knudsen is a two-time Frist Team All-SCIAC honoree with Kingsmen basketball in 2009 and '10. But where is he now? Here is a Q&A with Kyle. Catch up and see where he is and what he's up to. Be on the lookout for more alumni stories.
What year's where you at Cal Lutheran and what made you want to come here?
I attended Cal Lu from 2006 to 2010. What drew me to the school was a few things… I loved the campus and size of the school. Being a big fish in a small pond was important to me. I didn't want to get lost in the mix at a big school with 30, 40, 50k students. Also, the location and sunshine was huge, especially being from the Pacific Northwest!
While at Cal Lutheran, what was your experience like?
I loved Cal Lu and my experience was amazing… wouldn't trade it for anything. From the professors, to the campus life, to the sunshine, it was all great. And so many of my closest friendships started at Cal Lu.
How was your experience with the team and other athletes?
Aside from the success we had on the court, the thing that has stuck with me the most are the relationships that were created. I consider all of my teammates family and stay in touch with them to this day. I've been to numerous weddings, celebrated birthdays and even got ordained to marry a teammate to his wife. Below is a photo from my wedding in 2018, which shows all Cal Lu alumni, including 7 former teammates!
What is your current job, and how did Cal Lutheran prepare you for that?
Currently, I'm a Product Line Manager for Nike Basketball apparel. I've been at Nike for nearly 10 years now and my experience at Cal Lu helped a lot. From the awesome professors who would spend extra time with their students, to playing basketball and taking learnings from the court and team and applying it to everyday situations. I don't think I would have gotten to this point without Cal Lu.
How did being a student-athlete prepare you for your professional career?
Being a student-athlete prepared me like no other. Having to balance priorities like school, practice, social life, and everything in between helped shape how I handle situations in the work place and in life today. Also, playing a team sport was immensely impactful. Working together with 15 different individuals, all with different talents and personalities, trying to accomplish a single goal can directly apply to the team dynamic here at Nike.
What is your favorite part about the job?
My favorite part about my job is that I get to do things for work that I would enjoy even if I weren't getting paid to. My job is to understand the needs and wants of the basketball athlete, and then build product that suffices those. I travel around the world, go to NBA/College/HS basketball games, talk to athletes, and work with them to understand what they like and dislike. It's a pretty awesome job and I love how I can stay close to the sport.
What is a typical day at your job?
A typical day starts with about an hour's worth of email responses. It doesn't sound all that interesting, but as a PLM, people I work with look to me for answers regarding product, so I have to guide my team on a daily basis. After that, I mix in a few meetings here and there (more meetings now since we're all working from home). During these meetings, we talk about things like new products, trends we're seeing, consumer insights we've gathered, etc… During my spare time at the office, we're encouraged to be active, so I play basketball with other employees a few times a week, or go for a run or work out in a class. It's an added bonus that the Nike campus has 3 separate state of the art gyms for employees to use!
Did you know you always wanted to do this, or when did you know what you wanted to do?
I was a sneakerhead since like 5th grade and loved Nike. I would save up lunch money and allowances and ride my bike to the mall for the newest release. That passion only continued to grow throughout school and basketball was my first love… It only seemed fit to pursue a company that would support both of those passions.
What does it mean to you to be a Kingsmen?
Being a Kingsmen means you're a family. Not only with your teammates, but you're family with other athletes from different sports, you're a family with alumni that you didn't even go to school with, you're a family with anyone who had a connection with Cal Lu.
