Fran Welch
Encyclopedia
Francis George Welch was a college football
, track and field
coach and athletic director
in the United States
. He was of the first three coaches to be selected for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
Track and Field Hall of Fame and is a member of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
.
In 1960, Emporia State University
named the football stadium Welch Stadium
to honor his legacy.
) in 1914. Head football coach Bill Hargiss
put him at quarterback
where he remained until graduation four years later. He also displayed skill in baseball
and basketball
, earning 11 varsity letters before his graduation in 1918.
football
coach
for Emporia State University
in Emporia, Kansas
and he held that position for 24 seasons, from 1928 until 1942 and then again from 1946 until 1954. His overall coaching record at ESU was 115 wins, 82 losses, and 15 ties. As of completion of the 2007 season, this ranks him first at ESU in terms of total wins and sixth at ESU in terms of winning percentage.
Emporia State, like many schools, did not play football during World War II
.
Welch led his team to a victory in the Missouri-Kansas Bowl
with a 34-20 victory over Missouri State University
on December 4, 1948 in Kansas City, Missouri
. It was the only year the bowl game
was played. It was Emporia's first post-season football game.
Welch (along with Washburn University
coach Dick Godlove
) also coached an "all-star" team made up of Kansas players to play a similar squad from Missouri
in the "Mo-Kan Bowl" all-star exhibition game.
teams at Emporia as well. His teams were conference champs ten times, won four NAIA championships and placed second three times in 13 years of competition. Fran developed three NCAA
individual champions and 13 individual NAIA champs.
In 1960, Welch was selected to coach field event participants of the United States Women's Track and Field Team for the 1960 Summer Olympics
in Rome
.
in education in 1918 form Kansas Normal, then completed requirements for a degree in agriculture at Kansas State University
in Manhattan, Kansas
. He served as a U.S. Army Lieutenant
in World War I
and took a leave of absence from teaching to serve in World War II
as a Captain and special services officer at Fort Riley.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
coach and athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was of the first three coaches to be selected for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
Track and Field Hall of Fame and is a member of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is a museum located in Wichita, Kansas, dedicated to preserving the history of sports in the state of Kansas. The museum provides exhibits, archives, facilities, services, and activities to honor those individuals and teams whose achievements in sports brought...
.
In 1960, Emporia State University
Emporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
named the football stadium Welch Stadium
Welch Stadium
Welch Stadium is a sport stadium in Emporia, Kansas. The facility is primarily used by the Emporia State University football and track & field teams. It is named to honor long-time Emporia State coach and athletic director Fran Welch...
to honor his legacy.
Playing History
Fran Welch enrolled in Kansas State Normal School (now Emporia State UniversityEmporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
) in 1914. Head football coach Bill Hargiss
Homer Woodson Hargiss
Homer Woodson "Bill" Hargiss was an American football and basketball player, and track and field athlete, and coach in Kansas and Oregon...
put him at quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
where he remained until graduation four years later. He also displayed skill in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, earning 11 varsity letters before his graduation in 1918.
Football
Welch was the 13th headHead 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 coaches...
football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
for Emporia State University
Emporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
in Emporia, Kansas
Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
and he held that position for 24 seasons, from 1928 until 1942 and then again from 1946 until 1954. His overall coaching record at ESU was 115 wins, 82 losses, and 15 ties. As of completion of the 2007 season, this ranks him first at ESU in terms of total wins and sixth at ESU in terms of winning percentage.
Emporia State, like many schools, did not play football during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Welch led his team to a victory in the Missouri-Kansas Bowl
Missouri-Kansas Bowl
The Missouri-Kansas Bowl was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics post-season college football Bowl game played in Kansas City, Missouri for the 1948 season....
with a 34-20 victory over Missouri State University
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
on December 4, 1948 in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. It was the only year the bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
was played. It was Emporia's first post-season football game.
Welch (along with Washburn University
Washburn University
Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
coach Dick Godlove
Dick Godlove
Richard M. "Dick" Godlove was a college football coach, athletic director, and sports figure in the United States. His lifetime football coaching record was 104 wins, 55 losses, and 10 ties...
) also coached an "all-star" team made up of Kansas players to play a similar squad from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in the "Mo-Kan Bowl" all-star exhibition game.
Track and field
Welch coached the track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
teams at Emporia as well. His teams were conference champs ten times, won four NAIA championships and placed second three times in 13 years of competition. Fran developed three NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
individual champions and 13 individual NAIA champs.
In 1960, Welch was selected to coach field event participants of the United States Women's Track and Field Team for the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Personal life
Welch was awarded a Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in education in 1918 form Kansas Normal, then completed requirements for a degree in agriculture at Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
in Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
. He served as a U.S. Army Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and took a leave of absence from teaching to serve in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a Captain and special services officer at Fort Riley.
External links
- Emporia State University official athletics website