In the summer of 2010 Embry-Riddle Director of Athletics Steve Ridder announced the hiring of Ken Staton as the head coach of the men’s golf program. Staton assumed the role of head coach after working with Maria Lopez as the assistant coach to both the men’s and women’s programs for two seasons and is entering his third season at the helm of the men’s team in 2012.
“We are very excited to have Coach Staton on as a full time coach,” Ridder said. “He has an impressive resume with his overall experiences as a collegiate golfer at the NCAA Division I level and as a player on the PGA tour. Beyond that, I’ve had the opportunity to observe him as an assistant coach over the last two years and what has impressed me even more than his credentials, is that he understands the coaching profession and the opportunity to impact the lives of young people. In addition to his outstanding teaching ability and his knowledge of the sport, he has established a great rapport with the student-athletes and I know they are excited to have him on board full time.”
In his second season at the helm, Staton led the Blue and Gold to their first tournament win in eight years, taking the Eagle Invitational by six strokes. The men’s golf team continues to make strides to become a contender on the National level.
Staton had a successful first year as head coach of the men’s program in 2010-11. Individually, Jackson Koert became the first All-American under Staton’s leadership, earning third team honors for the second consecutive year. Staton’s team also made a mark in the record books as the Eagle men garnered the lowest team season stroke average in Embry-Riddle history with a 303.3, besting the 2006-07 team’s average of 303.4. Staton’s team also tied the 2006-07 team’s lowest single round of 278 (-4) and tied the 2004-05 and 2009-10 teams for the sixth lowest single round in ERAU history at 286 (-2). Additionally, the 2010-11 team earned three spots in the top 10 for the lowest 54-hole score in a tournament. The team’s 294-278-307=879 at the Camp LeJeune Gold Championship tied for second, while the team’s 297-286-299=882 at the Southeastern Fire Classic and 297-302-296=895 at The Sun Conference Championship put hem in fourth and tied for sixth respectively.
A native of Daytona Beach, Staton has a wealth of experience, as he has had great success as a junior-amateur competitor, a collegiate athlete and as a member of several professional tours. Staton played on the PGA Tour from 2002-03, where he garnered two top-five finishes. He was a member of the Nationwide Tour in 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2007 and earned four top-20 finishes during that tenure. Staton was a six-time champion on the Canadian Tour from 1998-01, winning the BC Tel Open, MCTV Benefit Partners Classic, MTS Classic, AMEX SAQ Championship, Telus Open and the Tour Championship Niagara Falls. As a member of the Mini Tours (1995-98), he was a four-time winner of the Tommy Armour and a two-time champion of the Riviera Open. Staton also placed second on the 2006 Hooter’s Tour.
Staton was a four-year letterwinner at Florida State and graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. He was an All-American and team captain in his senior year and led the Seminoles to a seventh place finish at the NCAA DI Championship in 1995, where he placed 14th overall. During the 1994 regular season at FSU, Staton won the Rattler Invitational and the Riviera Open and went on to finish 32nd at the NCAA DI Championship. He was also named a Savane College All-American for the 1994 season.
As a junior-amateur competitor, he finished first at the 1994 Volusia Amateur Championship and second in the 1993 North Florida Amateur. In 1990, he won the AJGA Midwestern Junior and placed second at the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions.
Staton also worked as golf instructor and rules official for the Volusia/Flagler Junior Golf Association from 1990-96 and was an assistant golf instructor for Riviera Junior Clinics in 1995. Before officially joining the Embry-Riddle coaching staff, Staton helped the Eagles during winter months and has coached several former Embry-Riddle golfers, most notably Deah Reubel.
Staton resides in Ormond Beach with his wife, Jennifer.
