{{Short description|American soccer coach (1928–2022)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Gene Kenney | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Eugene Kenney | birth_date = {{birth date|1928|05|28}} | birth_place = Urbana, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2022|06|14|1928|05|28}} | death_place = | nationality = | other_names = | occupation = Soccer coach, athletics administration | years_active = 1956–1994 | known_for = Michigan State Spartans men's soccer coach, led team to 2 national championships | notable_works = Published book ''Soccer: Sports Techniques''<ref name="kenney book nla">{{cite web|title=1971 Book English Edition: Soccer. Consultant: Gene Kenney. Demonstrators: George K. Janes [and] Rudy Mayer. [electronic resource]|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/49216034|website=National Library of Australia|publisher=Trove|accessdate=March 22, 2017}}</ref> }}
'''Eugene Kenney''' (May 15, 1928 – June 14, 2022<ref>[https://www.wilx.com/2022/06/14/former-iconic-msu-soccer-coach-kenney-dies/ Former Iconic MSU Soccer Coach Kenney Dies]</ref>) was an American wrestler, football player and soccer coach, who is best known as being the first head coach of the Michigan State Spartans men's soccer team. Kenney coached the Spartans from 1956 until 1969, where he led the Spartans to two NCAA co-championships in 1967 and 1968. Following his retirement from coaching, Kenney worked as an athletic administrator for the Michigan State athletics program from 1970 until his retirement in 1994. During his tenure in the school's athletics department, he published ''Soccer: Sports Techniques'' a book about philosophies and team strategies to approach the sport.<ref name="kenney book">{{cite book|last1=Kenney|first1=Gene|title=Soccer (Sports techniques)|date=June 1971|publisher=Athletic Institute|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0876700433|format=Paperback|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/soccerkenn00kenn}}</ref>
== Football and wrestling career ==
Kenney's collegiate sports career began in 1946 when he was a four-year member of the Illinois Fighting Illini football team.<ref name="msu biography">{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=Ashley|title=A Look At Gene Kenney|url=http://www.msuspartans.com/genrel/102805aag.html|website=Michigan State Spartans|publisher=MSU Sports Information|accessdate=March 22, 2017|language=English|date=October 28, 2005}}</ref> Kenney never played a competitive game while part of the football team.<ref>{{cite web|title=All-Time Letterwinners - Illinois Fighting Illini Football Record Book|url=http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/fightingillini.com/documents/2016/8/3/2016_RecordBook_Full.pdf|website=Illinois Fighting Illini football|publisher=Illinois Athletics|accessdate=March 22, 2017|pages=173–81|date=August 3, 2016|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323054926/http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/fightingillini.com/documents/2016/8/3/2016_RecordBook_Full.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kenney was a four-year player in high school football for the Urbana Tigers varsity football team.<ref name="msu biography"/>
Outside of football, Kenney was also an amateur wrestler, as he was a member of the Illinois Fighting Illini wrestling team. Kenney was a one-year letterwinner, being a member of the 1950 wrestling team.<ref>{{cite web|title=All-Time Letterwinners - Wrestling|url=http://fightingillini.com/sports/2016/5/3/wrestling-letterwinners.aspx|website=Illinois Fighting Illini|publisher=FightingIllini.com|accessdate=March 22, 2017}}</ref> Upon graduation in 1950, Kenney became an assistant coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels wrestling program.<ref name="pearson">{{cite web|last1=Pearson|first1=Mike|title=Illini Legends, Lists and Lore: Gene Kenney|url=http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/baseball/2014-05-10/illini-legends-lists-and-lore-gene-kenney.html|website=The News-Gazette|accessdate=March 22, 2017|date=May 10, 2014}}</ref>
== Soccer career ==
{{Infobox football biography | name = Gene Kenney | image = | fullname = Eugene Kenney | birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|05|08}} | birth_place = Urbana, Illinois, U.S. | position = | currentclub = | death_date = {{death date and age|2022|06|14|1928|05|08}} | death_place = | height = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | manageryears1= 1950 | managerclubs1= North Carolina Tar Heels (assistant) | manageryears2= 1956–1969 | managerclubs2= Michigan State Spartans }}
Following an illness to then-head coach Marvin Allen, Kenney took control of the Tar Heels soccer team to close out the 1950 season.<ref name="pearson"/> Following the season, Kenney was deployed to fight in the Korean War. While in Korea, Kenney served as a head coach for several service soccer teams in addition to being an Army officer.
Upon return from Korea, Kenney was hired by Michigan State University to initially coach the wrestling team and serve as a physical education teacher in the region.<ref name="pearson"/> In his spare time, Kenney also coached the club soccer team at Michigan State until it was upgraded to varsity status in 1956. When the program became a varsity program, MSU athletic director, Biggie Munn, named Kenney as the program's head coach.<ref name="vault">{{cite magazine|last1=Jares|first1=Joe|title=Local Boys Make Very Good|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1965/12/13/609013/local-boys-make-very-good|magazine=Sports Illustrated Vault|publisher=Time, Inc.|accessdate=March 22, 2017|date=December 13, 1965}}</ref>
During Kenney's time coaching the Spartans, the program experienced the most success in their history. Kenney led the Spartans to 120-13-13 record and helped them claim two NCAA titles.<ref name="pearson"/><ref name="vault"/>
=== Head coaching record ===
{{CBB Yearly Record Start |type=coach |conference= |postseason= |poll=no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead |name=Michigan State |startyear=1956 |conference=Independent |endyear=1969 |}} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1956 | name = Michigan State | overall = 5–0–1 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1957 | name = Michigan State | overall = 6–0–2 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1958 | name = Michigan State | overall = 8–0–0 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1959 | name = Michigan State | overall = 7–2–0 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1960 | name = Michigan State | overall = 8–1–0 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1961 | name = Michigan State | overall = 8–1–0 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1962 | name = Michigan State | overall = 9–2–0 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1963 | name = Michigan State | overall = 9–1–0 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NCAA First Round }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1964 | name = Michigan State | overall = 10–1–2 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NCAA Runners-up }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1965 | name = Michigan State | overall = 10–2–0 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NCAA Runners-up }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1966 | name = Michigan State | overall = 10–2–0 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NCAA Semifinals }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = national | season = 1967 | name = Michigan State | overall = 12–0–2 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NCAA co-champions }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = national | season = 1968 | name = Michigan State | overall = 11–1–3 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NCAA co-champions }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1969 | name = Michigan State | overall = 7–2–1 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NCAA First Round }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Michigan State | overall = 120–13–13 ({{Winning percentage|120|13|13}}) | confrecord = }} {{CBB Yearly Record End |overall=120–13–13 ({{Winning percentage|120|13|13}}) }}
== Administrative career == In 1970, Kenney became an athletic fellow for the school's athletic department until his retirement in 1994.
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenney, Gene}} Category:1928 births Category:2022 deaths Category:Illinois Fighting Illini football players Category:Illinois Fighting Illini wrestlers Category:Michigan State Spartans men's soccer coaches Category:United States Army officers Category:United States Army personnel of the Korean War Category:People from Urbana, Illinois Category:Players of American football from Champaign County, Illinois Category:American soccer coaches Category:Military personnel from Illinois