Kinnear studied at Clemson University between 1984 and 1988 and was voted one of the best All-American selections in 1987 . He became a professional tennis player in 1988 and initially played at satellite tournaments, where he collected first world ranking points. The following year he won his first double title on the ATP Challenger Tour in São Paulo at the side of David Wheaton . He won his first double title on the ATP World Tour in 1991, and in the same year he won the single title at the Challenger tournament in Puebla through a final victory against Luis-Enrique Herrera . 1992 was one of his most successful years, he won the individual title at the Challenger tournament in Perth and was in the double finals of the tournaments in Vienna , Scottsdale and the ATP Masters tournaments in Miami and Indian Wells . Overall, he was able to win four double titles in the course of his career, and he was also 15 times in a final. He reached his highest ranking in the tennis world rankings in 1992 with position 163 in singles and position 24 in doubles.
His best individual result at a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the second round of Wimbledon in 1992. In the doubles competition, he advanced to the second round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
After the end of his professional career, he worked as a trainer at the University of Illinois . He is married and has a daughter.