In 2005 he began serving as a member of the NCAA Division I Basketball Committee in a five-year position, the second representative ever from the Mid-American Conference.
As a goalkeeper he earned All-Ivy League honors for three consecutive years and attained All-America status in 1963 along with being named Cornell's Outstanding Athlete.
[1] All four of Kent State's Reese Trophy wins, awarded for best men's athletic accomplishments in the MAC, occurred under Kennedy with the most recent being in 2009.
New facilities built during Kennedy's tenure include Murphy-Mellis Field for field hockey, the Ferrara and Page Golf Training and Learning Center for men's and women's golf, the Diamond at Dix for softball, and the Athletic Academic Resource Center for all KSU student-athletes.
He also oversaw completion of a comprehensive gender equity study, and the formation of two organizations: the National Athletic Development Council which systematically evaluates the various sports programs and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee which provides input on the department's planning process.