Wayne J. McConnell (April 9, 1912 – July 3, 1981) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach. He served as the head football coach at the

College of Emporia The College of Emporia was a private college in Emporia, Kansas from 1882 to 1974, and was associated with the Presbyterian church. When founded, it was one of two higher education institutions in the city of Emporia, the other at that time was t ...

Emporia, Kansas Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 ...

from 1950 to 1955 and Fort Hays State University in

Hays, Kansas Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 21,116. It is ...

from 1956 to 1968, and compiling a career

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

coaching record of 83–80–4.

Coaching career

College of Emporia

McConnell was named the head football coach at the

before the start of the 1950 season and held that post through the completion of the 1955 season. His

College of Emporia Fighting Presbies football The College of Emporia Football Team was a college football team at the College of Emporia in Emporia, Kansas. The team competed from 1893 until the college closed in 1974 and was known for its high quality play for the size of the school as well ...

teams posted a record of 39–13–1 in six seasons. They were champions of the

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second oldest in the United Stat ...

(KCAC) four times and made an appearance in the

Mineral Water Bowl The Mineral Water Bowl is an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game between teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and an at large opponent hosted in Excelsior Springs, Missouri at Tiger Stadium. History ...

in 1954.

Fort Hays State

McConnell was the head football coach at Fort Hays State University in

for 13 seasons, from 1956 to 1968. His Fort Hays State Tigers football team had a record of 45–67–3.

Head coaching record

College football

References

1912 births 1981 deaths College of Emporia Fighting Presbies athletic directors College of Emporia Fighting Presbies football coaches Fort Hays State Tigers football coaches High school basketball coaches in Kansas High school football coaches in Kansas Washburn University alumni People from Atchison County, Kansas People from Shawnee County, Kansas Coaches of American football from Kansas {{1950s-collegefootball-coach-stub