Stephen Oliver Promoted to 10th Degree Black Belt and Inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame
Golden, Colorado — 2026. Grand Master Stephen Oliver, Founder and CEO of Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery and CEO and Chairman of NAPMA, was promoted to 10th Degree Black Belt in April 2026 and inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame on August 15, 2026. The two honors mark more than five decades in the martial arts, beginning with his first class in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1969.
Promoted to 10th Degree Black Belt — April 2026
In April 2026 Grand Master Jeff Smith promoted Stephen Oliver to 10th Degree Black Belt, the highest rank in his art. Jeff Smith, the first PKA World Light-Heavyweight Champion and Chief of Instruction at Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, has trained alongside Oliver in the Jhoon Rhee lineage for decades and had previously promoted him to 7th Degree in 2001, to 8th Degree on October 21, 2006, and to 9th Degree on October 1, 2016 (with Grand Masters Bill Wallace, Pat Burleson and Joe Corley).
Separately, Oliver was promoted to Ju-Dan (10th Degree) by the Uechiryu Butokukai, founded in 1974, with the unanimous approval of its Senior Master’s Council under the authority of Grand Master Buzz Durkin. That certificate is dated April 29, 2026.
Inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame — August 15, 2026
On August 15, 2026, Oliver was inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame® with a Lifetime Achievement induction, at the organization’s ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City. The Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame is the international hall of fame founded by Gerard Robbins in New Jersey, which held its first ceremony on April 6, 2007. It is a separate body from World Taekwondo’s own hall of fame, which was inaugurated in 2021.
Fifty-seven years in the Jhoon Rhee lineage
Oliver began training in 1969 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, under Jhoon Rhee Institute Black Belts Bob Olinghouse and Gran Moulder, in the Jhoon Rhee, Allen Steen and Pat Burleson lineage. He began teaching in 1974, opened his own school in 1975 at age 15, and received his 1st Degree Black Belt from Grand Master Jhoon Rhee in 1978. Jhoon Rhee awarded him his ranks through 6th Degree (Sixth Dan), which he received on May 22, 1994. The full rank history is on the Martial Arts Lineage page.
Why the honors matter to school owners
Oliver is best known in the martial arts industry as a business builder. He founded Mile High Karate in August 1983 with $10,000, reached 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, and passed 3,500 active students by the late 1980s before growing further through international franchise locations. He has coached martial arts school owners since 1985 and has personally promoted more than 1,000 Black Belts, aged 5 to 76.
The 10th Degree and Hall of Fame recognize that the two careers were never separate. His long-held conviction is that great martial arts and great business are inseparable: profitable schools attract better instructors, serve more families, keep higher teaching standards and produce more Black Belts.
About Grand Master Stephen Oliver
Grand Master Stephen Oliver, MBA, is a 10th Degree Black Belt and the Founder and CEO of Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, one of the martial arts industry’s leading coaching and consulting organizations for professional martial arts school owners, BJJ academies, and MMA gyms. A martial arts school owner since 1975 and business coach since 1985, Oliver has spent more than five decades building, operating, and advising successful martial arts schools. He also serves as CEO and Chairman of NAPMA (the National Association of Professional Martial Artists) and Publisher of Martial Arts Professional magazine. A Georgetown University cum laude graduate, he earned his Executive MBA through the Executive Program at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. He was promoted to 10th Degree Black Belt in April 2026 and inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame in August 2026. Learn more at MartialArtsWealth.com and StephenCOliver.com.
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Last updated: October 2026
