Ralph C. Kenney (c. 1887 – February 6, 1966) was an American coach, sports administrator, and military officer. He coached

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, basketball, and baseball at

William & Vashti College William & Vashti College was a college in Aledo, Illinois from 1908 to 1918. The school was founded by William Drury, a long time resident of Mercer County, and was named by him in his will as William and Vashti College to commemorate the memory ...

, and Louisiana Tech University.

Early life and education

Kenney born in

Athens, Ohio Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...

. He was a graduate of Ohio State University and did graduate work at University of Chicago. He was a veteran of World War I, during which he served with the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

, and World War II.

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. 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 {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

, 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 Highland Park Community College, formerly Highland Park Junior College, was a public community college located in Highland Park, Michigan. Highland Park Community College was an urban campus and the focus of many efforts to benefit urban populat ...

in Highland Park, Michigan before moving on in 1929 to the same role at

Carroll College Carroll College is a private Catholic college in Helena, Montana. The college has 21 buildings on a 63-acre campus, has over 35 academic majors, participates in 15 NAIA athletic sports, and is home to All Saints Chapel. The college motto, in L ...

in Waukesha, Wisconsin. 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.

Head coaching record

Football

Basketball

Baseball

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenney, Ralph C. Year of birth missing 1880s births 1966 deaths Carroll Pioneers athletic directors Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters athletic directors Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football coaches Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball coaches Louisiana Tech Bulldogs baseball coaches Rhodes Lynx athletic directors Rhodes Lynx football coaches Ohio State University alumni University of Chicago alumni United States Air Force officers United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War I People from Athens, Ohio Coaches of American football from Ohio Baseball coaches from Ohio Basketball coaches from Ohio Military personnel from Ohio