Ralph C. Kenney
Ralph Clinton Kenney (c. 1887 – February 6, 1966) was an American coach, sports administrator, and military officer. He coached football, basketball, and baseball at William & Vashti College, and Louisiana Tech University.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1887 Athens, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 1966 (aged 78) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1910–1911 | Ohio |
| Basketball | |
| 1910–1912 | Ohio |
| Baseball | |
| 1910–1911 | Ohio |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1912 | Roanoke |
| 1914–1915 | William & Vashti |
| 1920–1923 | Southwestern Presbyterian |
| 1925 | Louisiana Tech |
| Basketball | |
| 1925–1926 | Louisiana Tech |
| Baseball | |
| 1926 | Louisiana Tech |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| c. 1922–1923 | Southwestern Presbyterian |
| 1925–1926 | Louisiana Tech |
| ?–1929 | Highland Park JC |
| 1929–1931 | Carroll (WI) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 7–7 (basketball) 17–5 (baseball) |
Early life and education
Kenney born in Athens, Ohio. He played college football, basketball, and baseball at Ohio University.[1]
He was a graduate of Ohio State University and did graduate work at University of Chicago.[2][3] He was a veteran of World War I, during which he served with the 82nd Airborne Division, and World War II.[4]
Career
In 1915, Kenney served as the head football coach for William & Vashti College in Aledo, Illinois and led them to a record of 6–2.[5] Kenney later became the head coach for Louisiana Tech's football, men's basketball, and baseball teams for the 1925–26 academic year. He coached Louisiana Tech's football team to a record of 1–7–2. Kenney was the first basketball coach in Louisiana Tech history and led Louisiana Tech's basketball team to 7–7 record in the program's inaugural season. The Bulldogs lost the program's first two games to Centenary, but Kenney recorded Louisiana Tech's first ever basketball victory against Louisiana College. Kenney experienced the most success on the diamond leading Louisiana Tech's baseball team to a record of 17–5.
Kenney was the athletic director at Highland Park Junior College in Highland Park, Michigan before moving on in 1929 to the same role at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin.[6]
Kenney retired from military service in 1950 as a colonel in the United States Air Force. Kenney live the last 25 years of his life in Phoenix, Arizona. He died on February 6, 1966, at Phoenix Veterans Hospital in Phoenix.[7]
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William & Vashti College (Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1915) | |||||||||
| 1915 | William & Vashti | 6–2 | 4–2 | ||||||
| William & Vashti: | 6–2 | 4–2 | |||||||
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1925) | |||||||||
| 1925 | Louisiana Tech | 1–6–2 | 1–2–1 | T–13th | |||||
| Louisiana Tech: | 1–6–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
Basketball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1925–1926) | |||||||||
| 1925–26 | Louisiana Tech | 7–7 | 5–3 | ||||||
| Louisiana Tech: | 7–7 | 5–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 7–7 | ||||||||
Baseball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs () (1926) | |||||||||
| 1926 | Louisiana Tech | 17–5 | |||||||
| Louisiana Tech: | 17–5 | ||||||||
| Total: | 17–5 | ||||||||
References
- Athena yearbook. Ohio University. 1912. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- "New Director". Marshfield News-Herald. Marshfield, Wisconsin. February 25, 1929. p. 6. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
. - The official football guide, 1915, NCAA
- "Kenney to Serve As Director of Athletic at Tech". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. September 20, 1925. p. 16. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- "College Football Data Warehouse, William & Vashti 1915". Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
- "Kenney Signed as Director at Carroll". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. United Press. February 5, 1929. p. 14. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Ralph C. Kenney". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. February 8, 1966. p. 12. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .