Coach John Kenney joining Hawks Hall of Fame

John Patrick Kenney came to Shawano in 1949. John grew up in Waukesha and attended Marquette University on a track scholarship. He earned his Bachelor of Science from La Crosse Teacher’s College.

Kenney joined the Shawano school district in 1949 as a physical education teacher and began coaching immediately. He served as a JV and varsity assistant football coach from 1949-53.

He also coached JV basketball from 1949-55. In the fall of 1954, Kenney was the head coach of the cross-country program in its inaugural season.

He was a highly successful head coach of the track and field program from 1950-57, with many of his athletes qualifying for the state meet over that period.

In 1952, his team won the sectional track meet and finished tied for second place at the state track meet, and in 1953 his team won the Mid-Eastern Conference title. He was also the leader of the newly created Letterman’s Club in 1956.

Kenney’s most remarkable accomplishments as a coach came as head coach of the basketball team in the 1955-56 and 1956-57 seasons. In the only two seasons he coached the varsity, he led his teams to back-to-back state championships. This is more impressive when one considers that during this era there was no divisional placement.

In 1956, Shawano finished 22-6 and defeated Appleton, 74-68, in the state title game. In 1957, Shawano finished 26-2 and became just the third school to repeat as state champions by defeating Madison West, 66-61, in the state title game.

In addition to success on the court, coach Kenney led a first-class program. From the 1957 Shawanee, “Throughout the season, the boys were Shawano’s best representatives, setting good examples of clean, hard-fighting spirit, good sportsmanship, and the ability to win and lose gracefully.”

Coach Kenney left Shawano at the end of the 1957 school year for a position at Winona High School in Winona, Minnesota. He and his wife, Harriet, raised five children and resided in Winona until his passing in 1997.