Joseph Edward Kerbel (May 3, 1921 – March 20, 1973) 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 wit ...
coach. He is the second winningest coach in
West Texas A&M Buffaloes
The West Texas A&M Buffaloes, also known as the WTAMU Buffaloes or WT Buffaloes, and formerly West Texas State Buffaloes and WTSU Buffaloes, are the athletic teams that represent West Texas A&M University, located in Canyon, Texas, in NCAA Div ...
history.
After a successful coaching career at
Bartlesville
Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. Bartlesville is north of Tulsa and south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The ...
and
Cleveland High School in
Oklahoma, Kerbel became
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other Coach (sport), coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manage ...
at
Breckenridge High School in 1952. Breckenridge had won its first 3A state title in 1951 under coach Cooper Robbins who had just left for
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...
, raising the expectations high for Kerbel. He did not disappoint, as he won two additional state championships in 1952 and 1954. He then left for Texas football powerhouse
Amarillo High School
Amarillo High School is a school located in the city of Amarillo, Texas, United States and is one of four high schools in the Amarillo Independent School District and classified as a 5A school by the University Interscholastic League (UIL). In 201 ...
, which had won four state championships under coaches
Blair Cherry
Johnson Blair Cherry (August 7, 1901 – September 10, 1966) was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Texas at Austin from 1947 to 1950, compiling a record of 32–10–1. His 1950 Texa ...
and
Howard Lynch
Howard W. "Bull" Lynch (March 2, 1902 – December 10, 1989) was an American football coach.
Lynch was born in Hamilton, Texas, but soon moved to Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo. He graduated from Amarillo High School and went on to Centre College in ...
.
After coaching at Amarillo High School for three seasons, Kerbel became an assistant under
DeWitt Weaver at
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...
in 1957. He then took over a West Texas A&M football program in 1960 that had won just two games in two years under head coach
Clark Jarnagin. Kerbel turned the program around, amassing a 68–42–1 record the next eleven years and winning two
bowl games, the
1962 Sun Bowl
The 1962 Sun Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Ohio Bobcats and the West Texas State Buffaloes.
Background
West Texas State (now known as West Texas A&M) was selected as an independent and was third in scoring with 29.7 ...
and 1967
Junior Rose Bowl The Pasadena Bowl, known as the Junior Rose Bowl from 1946 to 1966 and again in 1976 and 1977, was a college football bowl game.
Between 1946 and 1966 and again in 1976 and 1977, the game pitted the California Junior College football champions ag ...
, along the way. Notable players for Kerbel included
Stan Hansen
John Stanley Hansen II (born August 29, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestler.
Hansen is known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to his poor eyesight. He is also known for his gimmick as a loud, violent cowboy who ...
, Mercury Morris, Duane Thomas, Jerry Don Logan and three-time All Texas Defensive Back, Thomas Krempasky. Kerbel retired in 1971 after the school chose not to renew his contract. He was succeeded by
Gene Mayfield, a native of
Quitaque in
Briscoe County, Texas. Kerbel died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...
at the age of 51.
Head coaching record
College
Further reading
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerbel, Joe
1921 births
1973 deaths
Texas Tech Red Raiders football coaches
West Texas A&M Buffaloes athletic directors
West Texas A&M Buffaloes football coaches
High school football coaches in Oklahoma
High school football coaches in Texas
People from Seminole, Oklahoma