Glenn E. Presnell

Director of Athlehcs

Glenn Presnell has been associated with Eastern athletics for 22 years, serving the past six as the university's first full-time athletic director.

In ten years as Eastern's football coach, he guided his teams to 42 victories, 49 losses and three ties. During that time, the Maroons won one OVC title outright and gained a four-way share of the crown in 1962. Until one of his students, Roy Kidd, won the 1967 and 1968 championships, Presnell was the only Kentucky coach who could claim more than one OVC halo.

His first year as head coach, 1954, was his best. His Maroons went undefeated in season play and lost to Omaha University 7-6 in what is still regarded as the greatest Tangerine Bowl game ever played in Orlando, Florida.

But Presnell was a football legend even befor,e he came to Eastern.

Born at Gilead, Nebraska, Presnell was an AllAmerican halfback at Nebraska, and played in the EastW est All-Star Gam e in San Francisco at the end of his college career in 1927.

Later, with the Portsmouth Spartans and the Detroit Lions in the National League, he ·was an all-league performer.

Against Green Bay in 1934, the popular Presnell kicked a 54-yard field goal, which stood as the N.F.L. recor d for 19 years, and is still the second longest in the League's history. The NFL's 1964 yearbook cited Presnell as one of the key men in Detroit's 1935 championship.

Presnell began his collegiate coaching career in 1937 as backfield coach at the University of Kansas. In 1938 he returned to Nebraska as backfield coach, and in 1942 he was named head coach there. Nebraska played Stanford in the Rose Bowl in 1941, while he was backfield coach of the Cornhuskers.

In 1943 and '44, Presnell coached the backfield at North Carolina Pre-Flight, while serving as a naval officer . He returned to Nebraska in 1946, before coming to Eastern in the fall of 1947. He was named head coach in 1954.

He married the former Lizbeth Gehrling of Ironton, Ohio, in 1929, and found in her his most faithful fan and supporter. They have one son, Danny, who teaches at Madison Central High School in Richmond . His chief hobby is golf , and he coaches the Eastern golfers, but he takes an interest in all sports.

Ken Murray's contributions to East' ern's athletic program exceed the limits of a trainer. He is an energetic y oun g man with unique talents and t otallv dedicated to his profession. But he also assumes many other responsibilities and, through his own initiative , bas sought to instill a sense of pride and determination among the players. His success as a trainer was evidenced during his first year w~en the Colo1:-els made it through an entire season without serious injury. A graduate of the University of Texas, Murray received his masters degree from East Tennessee State University. His training experience includes work on virtually . every level of competitive athletics. He · began with a high school program , adyanced to junior college, served as a student trainer at Texas and an assistant at East Tennessee. He also was a trainer for the NFL ' s Atlanta Falcons. Murray, a son of missionary parents; was raised in Bulape , Congo Africa and speaks six languages fluently. He is married to the former Lenore Saunders.

Karl Park has begun his first year in the role of Spo rts Information Director for E2.stern ' s athletic teams. Park graduated from Eastern where he served as sports e ditor of the school newspaper, The Eastern Progress , for three years. He assisted former Eastern SID David Vance on the statistics crew for three years, also.

For additional information , features, or pictures contact:

KARL PARK