NeveHarms If you couldn't see the scoreboard, you could tell how much longer the game was by the length of Dr. Kenny's cigar. He always brought one for each half.
A lifelong Peorian, Dr James N. Kenny, Sr. graduated from Spalding where he participated in football and boxing. He graduated from Notre Dame with a B.S. in Biological Services, and received his M.D. from St. Louis University in 1943. He served in the U.S. Army from 1944 until 1946, attaining the rank of Captain.
Completing his internship and residency in General Surgery in 1950, he practiced surgery in Peoria until 1990, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
A "fill-in" for Dr Cusack, he took over the Spalding Irish job in 1966 and served until 1986. He took care of injuries, supplied the team with Gatorade, and furnished player photos at the end of season Sports Banquet. Three sons played football for Spalding, and two daughters were cheerleaders.
In 1976, Dr. Kenny received the University of Notre Dame Award of the Year for his commitment to family, his contributions to his community, and his desire to help and serve his fellow man. He was commended for the unselfish and charitable work that he performed throughout his career.
George Taylor With an amazing career of 36 years, few Central Illinois football coaches were better known and more successful than George Taylor. Taylor spent 27 years as a football coach in Chillicothe, where for many years he also coached the baseball, basketball, and track teams. When he retired from coaching in 1972, his football record at Chillicothe was 162-79-11 with 12 conference championships and three undefeated seasons. His two sons, Ron and Tim, played quarterback for him, throwing for a combined 94 touchdowns. Ron went on to quarterback several University of Missouri bowl game teams, and Tim is now a successful television actor known as Josh Taylor. |