Henry Arthur Kean Sr. (April 20, 1894 – December 12, 1955) was an American football and basketball coach. He served as head football coach at Kentucky State Industrial College (now known as Kentucky State University) from 1931 to 1942 and Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College (now known as Tennessee State University) from 1944 to 1954, compiling a career college football coaching record of 165–34–9, with a winning percentage of .819. Kean was also the head basketball coach at Tennessee A&I from 1944 to 1949 and again in 1950–51, tallying a mark of 108–26.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 20, 1894 Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 1955 (aged 61) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Indiana University Fisk University |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| c. 1920 | Fisk |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| c. 1921–1930 | Central HS (KY) |
| 1931–1942 | Kentucky State |
| 1944–1954 | Tennessee A&I |
| Basketball | |
| c. 1921–1931 | Central HS (KY) |
| c. 1931–1944 | Kentucky State |
| 1944–1949 | Tennessee A&I |
| 1950–1951 | Tennessee A&I |
| Track and field | |
| c. 1931–1944 | Kentucky State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1931–1944 | Kentucky State |
| 1944–1955 | Tennessee A&I |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 165–34–9 (college football) |
| Bowls | 5–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 6 black college national (1934–1935, 1946–1947, 1953–1954) 11 MWAA (1932, 1934, 1937–1938, 1941–1942, 1945–1947, 1949, 1954) | |
Coaching career
editCentral High School
editKean taught mathematics, and coached football and basketball at Central High School in Louisville, Kentucky, for ten years. During this time he also worked a college football and college basketball official. Kean studied coaching under Knute Rockne of the University of Notre Dame.[1]
Kentucky State
editIn 1931, Kean was hired as the head football coach and athletic director at Kentucky State Industrial College—now known as Kentucky State University—in Frankfort, Kentucky.[1] He served as head coach of the Kentucky State Thorobreds football program for 12 seasons, from 1931 to 1942, compiling a record of 72–18–6 and leading his to two black college football national championships, in 1934 and 1935. Kean also coached basketball and track and field at Kentucky State.[2]
Tennessee State
editIn September 1944, Kean left Kentucky State to become the athletic director and head of the department of health and physical education at Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College—now known as Tennessee State University.[2] He was head coach of the Tennessee A&I Tigers football program for 11 seasons, from 1944 to 1954, tallying a mark of 93–16–3, and leading his teams to four black college football national championships.
Kean also coached basketball at Tennessee State from 1944 to 1949 and from 1950 to 1951, amassing a record of 108–26. In 1948–49, the Tigers went undefeated finishing with a record of 24 wins, scoring 1,765 points while allowing only 977 points by their opponents. This team remains Tennessee State's only undefeated team.
Kean was inducted into the Tennessee State Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. Kean Hall Gymnasium, nicknamed "Kean's Little Garden," is named in his honor.
Personal life
editBorn in Louisville, Kentucky, Kean held college degrees from both Indiana University Bloomington and Fisk University. He died at the age of 61, on December 12, 1955, at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.[3]
Head coaching record
editCollege football
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky State Thorobreds (Midwest Athletic Association) (1931–1942) | |||||||||
| 1931 | Kentucky State | 6–3 | |||||||
| 1932 | Kentucky State | 5–0–2 | 2–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1933 | Kentucky State | 4–3 | |||||||
| 1934 | Kentucky State | 8–0 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1935 | Kentucky State | 9–1 | 3–1 | 2nd | W Orange Blossom Classic | ||||
| 1936 | Kentucky State | 3–3–3 | 1–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1937 | Kentucky State | 7–0 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1938 | Kentucky State | 7–2 | 4–0 | 1st | L Orange Blossom Classic | ||||
| 1939 | Kentucky State | 6–1 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1940 | Kentucky State | 5–2–1 | L Peach Blossom Bowl | ||||||
| 1941 | Kentucky State | 6–2 | 3–0 | 1st | W Prairie View Bowl | ||||
| 1942 | Kentucky State | 6–1 | 1st | ||||||
| Kentucky State: | 72–18–6 | ||||||||
| Tennessee A&I Tigers (Midwest Athletic Association) (1944–1954) | |||||||||
| 1944 | Tennessee A&I | 8–2–1 | W Vulcan Bowl | ||||||
| 1945 | Tennessee A&I | 8–2 | 3–0 | 1st | W Vulcan Bowl | ||||
| 1946 | Tennessee A&I | 10–1 | 3–0 | 1st | W Vulcan Bowl | ||||
| 1947 | Tennessee A&I | 10–0 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1948 | Tennessee A&I | 5–3–1 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1949 | Tennessee A&I | 9–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1950 | Tennessee A&I | 9–2 | 2–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1951 | Tennessee A&I | 8–2 | 2–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1952 | Tennessee A&I | 8–2 | 2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1953 | Tennessee A&I | 8–0–1 | 2–0–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1954 | Tennessee A&I | 10–1 | 4–0 | 1st | L National Classic | ||||
| Tennessee A&I: | 93–16–3 | ||||||||
| Total: | 165–34–9 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Make H. Kean Head Coach at Ky. State". The Chicago Defender. Chicago, Illinois. May 23, 1931. p. 8. Retrieved May 5, 2026 – via Newspapers.com
. - 1 2 "T. S. C. Signs Henry Kean as Health Coach". The Nashville Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. September 10, 1944. p. 4C. Retrieved May 5, 2026 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Coach Of Negro Grid Teams Dies". The Advocate-Messenger. Danville, Kentucky. Associated Press. December 13, 1955. p. 6. Retrieved March 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "NCAA Statistics; Coach; Henry A. Kean; Football". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
