Dr. Jong-il Kim has been at Calvin College since the 1997-98 academic year and has served as the head coach of the Calvin men's track and field team as well as a professor in the Calvin Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sport department. Kim then added the duties of head women's track and field coach at Calvin in 2002, taking over the reins from retired Calvin professor and coach Dr. Ralph Honderd.

A native of Jin-Cheon, South Korea, Kim was a member of the South Korean national track and field team between 1979-1990 where he competed in the sprints and the long jump. Kim won gold medals in the long jump at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, India, and the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, South Korea. He added a fourth place finish in the long jump at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, China and ran a leg on South Korea's 400 meter relay team that placed third at the 1986 Asian Games. Kim also competed in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles where he placed eighth in the long jump, becoming the first athlete in South Korean track and field history to reach the finals of an Olympic event. He then competed at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul where he took 14th in the long jump. In 1986 and 1987, Kim trained at the University of Houston, under the coaching of Tom Tellez, where he also competed with U.S. Olympian Carl Lewis, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in the long jump. In 1990, he trained at the Korean National Athletic Training Village with Viktor Saneyev, a three-time Olympic champion in the triple jump. Kim earned his undergraduate degree in Physical Education at Dong-A University in Pusan, South Korea in 1986. He then earned a master's in Physical Education in 1993 at Washington State University, where he also completed his doctorate in Education with a concentration in Sports Management in 1996.

Dr. Kim has been selected by the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) as the NCAA Division III National Women’s Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2003 as well as Men’s Coach of the Year in 2003. In addition, he was voted Great Lakes Regional Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, he became the first coach in Division III history to be named both men's and women's outdoor track and field Coach of the Year in the same season.

Dr. Kim’s coaching philosophy centers on educating and preparing Calvin’s track and field student-athletes for Christian service and leadership throughout God’s world. “My coaching philosophy motivates me to concentrate on recruiting outstanding student-athletes for the track and field program and provide dedicated Christian assistant coaches who embrace the values of Calvin’s athletic philosophy. I deliberately and systematically incorporate Christian principles into all activities. Encouraging them to work hard in both academics and athletics and to believe themselves is very essential for them to achieve success.”

Dr. Kim led the men's and women’s track and field teams to receive United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) All-Academic Team Award. The USTCA All-Academic Team Award recognizes teams whose average cumulative team grade point is a 3.10 or better on a 4.0 scale. In addition, he led the men's and women’s track and field teams to receive Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Team GPA Award. The MIAA Team GPA Award recognizes teams whose average cumulative team grade point is a 3.30 or better on a 4.0 scale.