Hall of Fame Inductees
Herb Kenny worked in Cardinal athletics for thirty years, including twenty-seven (1968–95) as head coach of men’s basketball. A native of nearby Meriden, Herb lettered in football, baseball, and basketball both at Platt High school and St. Bonaventure University. After earning a master’s in physical education at UConn he coached at Platt and then joined Wesleyan, initially as freshman basketball coach. Herb also acted as assistant football coach for fifteen years and head golf coach for twenty-three.
Under Herb’s leadership, Cardinal men’s basketball amassed a 312-280 record. During those years the coach was acknowledged to pursue the toughest Division III schedule in New England. Herb was known for his intense coaching style and intricate offenses. His teams won or tied for the Little Three title eight times, with the best record coming in 1991 at 18-6. They qualified for six ECAC tournaments and won the Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award (the highest honor of the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association) five times.
In 1977, following a 17-6 season, Herb was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year. Over his career Herb developed a reputation as one of the nation’s most influential ambassadors for basketball, and in 1992 he became the first Division III Coach to be named president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). His other leadership positions included chair of the NABC Div. III Rules Committee, member of the board and Third VP of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and Director of USA Basketball. In 1982 Herb received the Alvin “Doggie” Julian Award for service to New England college basketball, and in 1992 he was awarded a Gold Key by the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance. Herb was an assistant coach at the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival and for the 1991 U. S. team that won a gold medal in England at the World University Games.
Herb also served on the Meriden Board of Education and on the board of the Meriden Boys Club. In 2017 he was inducted into the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame. To honor the coach’s career, Wesleyan established the annual Herb Kenny Tip-Off Tournament.
