Former Kentucky St. & Tennessee St. Head Coach Henry Kean Selected As The 2022 AFCA Trailblazer Award Recipient
November 30, 2022
Henry Kean, former head coach at Kentucky State and Tennessee State, has been named the American Football Coaches Association’s recipient of the 2022 Trailblazer Award. The award will be presented, posthumously, to Kean during the AFCA Honors Luncheon on Monday, January 9, at the 2023 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The AFCA Trailblazer Award was created to honor early leaders in the football coaching profession who coached at historically black colleges and universities. Past Trailblazer Award winners include Charles Williams, Hampton (2004); Cleve Abbott, Tuskegee (2005); Arnett Mumford, Southern (2006); Billy Nicks, Prairie View A&M (2007); Alonzo “Jake” Gaither, Florida A&M (2008); Fred “Pops” Long, Wiley (2009); Harry R. “Big Jeff” Jefferson, Bluefield State (2010); Edward P. Hurt, Morgan State (2011); Vernon “Skip” McCain, Maryland-Eastern Shore (2012); Marino Casem, Alcorn State (2013); Gideon Smith, Hampton (2014); Eddie Robinson, Grambling State (2015); Oree Banks, South Carolina State and West Virginia State (2016); John Merritt, Jackson State and Tennessee State (2017); Earl Banks, Morgan State (2018); Bill Hayes, Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T (2019) and Edward Jackson, Delaware State, Johnson C. Smith and Howard (2021).
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Kean earned degrees from Indiana University of Fisk University and taught Math at Louisville Central High School before embarking on his college coaching profession.
Kean’s collegiate coaching career began in 1931 at Kentucky State. He was the head coach of the Thorobreds for 12 years, compiling an overall record of 73-17-6 with three Black College National Championships in 1934, 1935 and 1937. His team’s also won 10 straight Midwest Athletic Association titles.
In 1944, Kean took over the reins at Tennessee State, guiding the Tigers to a 93-15-3 record with two Black College National Championships in 1946 and 1947. He retired from coaching football in 1954 with an overall record of 166-32-9 and a winning percentage of 82%.
Kean also found time to coach basketball while at Tennessee State, leading the Tiger program from 1944-51. He had an overall record of 108-26 on the hardwood and his 1948-49 team went undefeated, which remains Tennessee State’s only undefeated basketball team.
Tennessee State named their gymnasium in Kean’s honor, and he was inducted into the Tennessee State Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. Kean is also a member of the NAIA Football Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 1958.
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members worldwide, ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.”
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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Henry Kean, former head coach at Kentucky State and Tennessee State, has been named the American Football Coaches Association’s recipient of the 2022 Trailblazer Award. The award will be presented, posthumously, to Kean during the AFCA Honors Luncheon on Monday, January 9, at the 2023 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The AFCA Trailblazer Award was created to honor early leaders in the football coaching profession who coached at historically black colleges and universities. Past Trailblazer Award winners include Charles Williams, Hampton (2004); Cleve Abbott, Tuskegee (2005); Arnett Mumford, Southern (2006); Billy Nicks, Prairie View A&M (2007); Alonzo “Jake” Gaither, Florida A&M (2008); Fred “Pops” Long, Wiley (2009); Harry R. “Big Jeff” Jefferson, Bluefield State (2010); Edward P. Hurt, Morgan State (2011); Vernon “Skip” McCain, Maryland-Eastern Shore (2012); Marino Casem, Alcorn State (2013); Gideon Smith, Hampton (2014); Eddie Robinson, Grambling State (2015); Oree Banks, South Carolina State and West Virginia State (2016); John Merritt, Jackson State and Tennessee State (2017); Earl Banks, Morgan State (2018); Bill Hayes, Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T (2019) and Edward Jackson, Delaware State, Johnson C. Smith and Howard (2021).
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Kean earned degrees from Indiana University of Fisk University and taught Math at Louisville Central High School before embarking on his college coaching profession.
Kean’s collegiate coaching career began in 1931 at Kentucky State. He was the head coach of the Thorobreds for 12 years, compiling an overall record of 73-17-6 with three Black College National Championships in 1934, 1935 and 1937. His team’s also won 10 straight Midwest Athletic Association titles.
In 1944, Kean took over the reins at Tennessee State, guiding the Tigers to a 93-15-3 record with two Black College National Championships in 1946 and 1947. He retired from coaching football in 1954 with an overall record of 166-32-9 and a winning percentage of 82%.
Kean also found time to coach basketball while at Tennessee State, leading the Tiger program from 1944-51. He had an overall record of 108-26 on the hardwood and his 1948-49 team went undefeated, which remains Tennessee State’s only undefeated basketball team.
Tennessee State named their gymnasium in Kean’s honor, and he was inducted into the Tennessee State Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. Kean is also a member of the NAIA Football Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 1958.
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members worldwide, ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.”
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
