Achievements and Awards

Grand Master Stephen Oliver’s recognition spans three careers that ran side by side for more than five decades: martial artist, school owner, and coach and publisher for the martial arts industry. This page lists the honors, ranks and milestones on record, with dates.

Rank

• 10th Degree Black Belt — promoted April 2026 by Grand Master Jeff Smith.
• Ju-Dan (10th Degree) — Uechiryu Butokukai, by unanimous approval of its Senior Master’s Council under Grand Master Buzz Durkin; certificate dated April 29, 2026.
• 9th Degree — October 1, 2016, by Grand Masters Jeff Smith, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, Pat Burleson and Joe Corley.
• 8th Degree — October 21, 2006, by Grand Master Jeff Smith.
• 7th Degree — 2001, by Grand Master Jeff Smith.
• 6th Degree — May 22, 1994, by Grand Master Jhoon Rhee.
• 1st Degree Black Belt — 1978, from Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, with one of the highest scores recorded on the Jhoon Rhee Black Belt Exam.

The complete timeline, including his first instructors in Tulsa in 1969, is on the lineage page.

Halls of fame

• Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame — Lifetime Achievement induction, August 15, 2026, at the ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City. (This is the international hall of fame founded by Gerard Robbins, not World Taekwondo’s own hall of fame.) Read the announcement.
• Masters Hall of Fame — 2014 inductee, Golden Lifetime Achievement Award, presented in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 7, 2014, “for recognition of excellence and great contributions to the martial arts.” The certificate is signed by the Hall’s CEO and by its ambassadors J. Pat Burleson, George Minshew and Tony Lopez.
• Battle of Atlanta Hall of Fame — inducted into the Officials Hall of Fame as “The Black Belt Leader” on June 22, 2012, presented by Joe Corley American Karate, for years of mentoring and service to the competitors of martial arts competition. The certificate is signed by World Champion Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Joe Corley and World Champion Jeff Smith.
• U.S. Martial Arts Association Hall of Fame — inducted 2000; also recognized as the USMAA’s #1 multi-school operator.

Lifetime achievement and industry awards

• “The Most Influential Man in Martial Arts” — Martial Arts World Magazine.
• Go2 Karate Lifetime Achievement and Recognition Award.
• Educational Funding Company Lifetime Achievement Award.
• AMAA Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Martial Arts Extraordinaire Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Ranked among the Top 200 school operators internationally by Andrews International.
• ASAMCO Award Bushido (Premium Gold) — March 14, 2025, from ASAMCO Martial Arts (Italy and Brazil), honoring the seven virtues of Bushido; signed by Roberto Nochang Carneiro, 10th Dan, Supreme Guru of ASAMCO Brazil, and Grand Master Michelangelo Ramunni, 9th Dan, Ambassador of ASAMCO Italy.
• ASAMCO Grand Master Diploma — March 14, 2025, from the same two ASAMCO signatories, honoring him as a “living example” of the highest values of the martial arts, whose work leaves “a legacy promoted by the martial art for its school, for society and for the civilization process.”
• Joe Lewis Eternal Warrior Award — June 15, 2018, presented by PKA Warriors in concert with Joe Lewis Fighting Systems, in memory of Joe Lewis, the first PKA World Heavyweight Champion, “in honor of the warrior spirit you have shown the world for these many decades, fighting one more round, whenever called to action.”
• Sport Karate Museum Dragon Image Fighting Award — July 1, 2013, “for long and dedicated service to their chosen martial art.”

Leadership roles

• CEO and Chairman, NAPMA (National Association of Professional Martial Artists) — since 2007.
• Publisher, Martial Arts Professional magazine — since 2007.
• Founder and CEO, Martial Arts Wealth Mastery — founded in 2000 as Stephen Oliver’s Inner Circle.
• Founder and CEO, Mile High Karate — founded August 6, 1983.
• Board of Directors, Educational Funding Company — elected to the first board in April 1987, served through 2001.
• NASKA Board of Directors and National Sanctioning Director — 1989 to 1999.
• Youngest-ever branch manager, Jhoon Rhee Institute, Washington, D.C.

Business milestones

• Opened his first martial arts school in 1975, at age 15.
• Founded Mile High Karate with $10,000 and opened five schools in eighteen months.
• More than 2,500 active students and over $1,700,000 in annual revenue (approximately $5,200,000 in today’s dollars) by age 25.
• More than 3,500 active students and roughly 50 staff by the late 1980s, with growth continuing through international franchise locations in Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
• More than 1,000 Black Belts personally promoted, aged 5 to 76.
• Founded the Mile High Karate Classic in 1989, a NASKA World Tour event from 1989 to 1999.

Publishing and media

• Author of twelve books, including one of the first books on internet marketing for martial arts schools (1999). See Books.
• Columnist for six industry publications: Martial Arts Extraordinaire, Martial Arts Professional, Mastering the Martial Arts Business, GoTo Karate, Rev Marketing and Martial Arts World.
• Featured on the covers of Martial Arts Business, Martial Arts Professional, Martial Arts World, Martial Arts Extraordinaire, Go2Karate and others. See magazine covers.

Education

• National Merit Finalist.
• University of Tulsa — University Scholar, two years on full scholarship.
• Georgetown University — A.B., cum laude, International Economics, 1982.
• University of Denver — Executive MBA, Executive Program at the Daniels College of Business, 1992; served on the Entrepreneurship and Venture Management Board.

Community

Since 1983 Mile High Karate has been a contributing school to Chuck Norris’s Kick Drugs Out of America, has supported The Children’s Hospital Foundation, and raises funds for local elementary schools through Educational Foundation Outreach and Fostering Leadership. In a signed letter dated November 21, 1995, Chuck Norris thanked Stephen for his effort to develop a long-lasting relationship between the Educational Funding Company and Kick Drugs Out of America. In a second letter, dated November 29, 1996, Norris thanked Stephen for raising $18,267 for Kick Drugs Out of America, and in December 1997 Norris’s T.E.A.M. News reported a further $15,000 contribution. On December 8, 1997, Norris wrote again: “I was very happy to learn that you had contributed the most this year.” See the original documents. Winning the 1997 top-fundraiser prize, which he had proposed himself, put him on the set of Walker, Texas Ranger as referee and fight choreographer: How I Ended Up on Walker, Texas Ranger.

Frequently asked questions

What rank is Stephen Oliver?

10th Degree Black Belt, promoted in April 2026 by Grand Master Jeff Smith.

Which hall of fame inducted Stephen Oliver in 2026?

The Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame, with a Lifetime Achievement induction on August 15, 2026.

Is Stephen Oliver the founder of NAPMA?

No. NAPMA was founded in 1994 by John Graden. Oliver has been its CEO and Chairman since 2007.

Which halls of fame has Stephen Oliver been inducted into?

The Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame (August 15, 2026), the Masters Hall of Fame (June 7, 2014, Golden Lifetime Achievement), the Battle of Atlanta Officials Hall of Fame (June 22, 2012) and the U.S. Martial Arts Association Hall of Fame (2000).

Read next: Full biography · Meet Grand Master Stephen Oliver · Speaking and media kit

Last updated: October 2026