Joseph McKenney (March 1, 1905 – May 17, 1995) was an

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

player, coach, and official. He served as the head football coach at Boston College from 1928 to 1934, compiling a record of 44–18–3. McKenney also played at Boston College and was the starting

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

from 1923 to 1926.

Early life

McKenney was born and raised in Brighton, Massachusetts and was a baseball, football and track star at Brighton High School. He was an all-scholastic end in 1920 and 1921 as well as an all-scholastic pitcher. When McKenney graduated from BHS in 1923, he was invited to the Harvard Club by his principal. There he was presented with a $1,000 scholarship and McKenney, who grew up close to Harvard Stadium and was a former Crimson mascot, accepted without telling his parents. When his mother read about his going to

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

in the '' Boston Post'', she told him that he must go to a Catholic school or go to work.

Boston College

McKenney played

and punter for Boston College and was team captain during their undefeated 1926 season. He was the starting all four years he played for the Eagles. An injury suffered during his high school football career prevented him from pitching for the Boston College Eagles baseball team, however in 1927 he returned to the diamond as an outfielder. McKenney was the offensive backfield coach under D. Leo Daley in 1927. He was promoted the following season to head coach. At 22 years old he was the youngest head coach in college football. He compiled a 44–18–3 record in his seven seasons as head coach. He supplemented his income by serving as a professor of modern history at BC and taking outside jobs, including as a salesman for the Boston Coal Company.

Boston Public Schools

In 1935, McKenney was appointed to the Boston Finance Commission by Governor Charles F. Hurley. However, after the sudden death of James Crowley the following month, McKenney resigned from the commission and ended his coaching career to become the associate director of

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

of Boston Public Schools. Although the position paid less than his other jobs combined, it was seen as more stable. In 1945 he was promoted to director of physical education. In this role, McKenney increased the number of coaches for all sports, added golf and tennis programs, created a fund for injured athletes, and instituted athletic programs for elementary and middle schools. Along with his assistant, William H. Ohrenberger, McKenney oversaw the construction White Stadium. In 1966, McKenney was appointed director of personnel relations for Boston Public Schools. He was a key figure in the administration of superintendent William H. Ohrenberger, a former teammate of McKenney's and his former associate director of physical education. McKenney retired in 1970.

Football official

From 1936 to 1945, McKenney was a linesman for college football games. He also served as a linesman for the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

and

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

games. In 1988 he received the National Football Foundation's Outstanding Football Official Award.

Construction of Alumni Stadium

From 1938 to 1948, McKenney was a member of the Metropolitan District Commission. In 1942 he arranged for Boston College to acquire a reservoir near the campus from the MDC once it was declared inactive in exchange for his support on a similar agreement for

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

. The reservoir was declared inactive in 1948 and was acquired by Boston College the following year. In the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

announced they would no longer allow Boston College to play football at Fenway Park, McKenney led the fundraising drive for a new football stadium, which would be constructed on the land previously acquired from the MDC. When Alumni Stadium opened in 1957, McKenney was the master of ceremonies.

Boston Beacons

McKenney was the vice president and general manager of the Boston Beacons of the North American Soccer League. The team folded after a single season (1968).

Later life

In 1983, McKenney was awarded an honorary degree from Boston College. McKenney has the distinction of being the only person in American college history to serve as captain his football team, head coach of his football team, elected president of his college's

alumni association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students ( alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, school A school is the educati ...

, and receive an honorary degree from the school. He was a season ticket holder for BC football until his death on May 17, 1995, at Maristhill Nursing Home in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKenney, Joe 1905 births 1995 deaths American football officials American football punters American football quarterbacks Boston College Eagles baseball players Boston College Eagles football players Boston College Eagles football coaches Boston College faculty Boston Finance Commission members Brighton High School (Brighton, Massachusetts) alumni College football officials NFL officials Coaches of American football from Massachusetts Players of American football from Boston North American Soccer League (1968–1984) executives