Joe "Tarzan" Kendall
PositionHalfback
Personal information
Born:(1909-10-02)October 2, 1909
Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
Died:November 25, 1965(1965-11-25) (aged 63)
Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight171 lb (78 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolWestern Colored (Owensboro, KY)
Career highlights and awards
College Football Hall of Fame (2007)

Joseph Nathaniel Kendall[1] (October 2, 1909 – November 25, 1965) was an American gridiron football player, best known for playing college football for the Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons (now Kentucky State University) in the mid-1930s. Nicknamed "Tarzan" for his athletic prowess, he was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Biography

Kendall was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1909,[1] and attended high school there.[2] A dominant figure in black college football in the 1930s,[3] Kendall first played for West Kentucky Industrial College, a junior college, during the 1932 season.[2][4] He then played for the Kentucky State Thorobreds during the 1933–1936 seasons.[2] His nickname of "Tarzan" appeared in print by October 1934.[5] While Kendall played as a halfback, football of the era included much more passing by halfbacks than in modern collegiate or professional football; various newspaper reports of the era highlighted Kendall's skill as a passer.[6]

Kendall helped lead the 1934 Kentucky State Thorobreds to an undefeated season and consensus black college football national championship selection;[7] the program was also named champion by some selectors in 1933 and 1935. In December 1935, the Thorobreds defeated Florida A&M in that season's Orange Blossom Classic;[8] coverage of the game highlighted "Kendall with his sure arm, shooting bullet-like passes all over the field."[9] Kentucky State had an overall 29–7–3 (.782) record during Kendall's playing years.[10][11] He was a first-team All-America selection by Chester L. Washington, sports editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, for the 1934 to 1936 seasons.[12][13][14] In September 1938, Kendall played on an all-star team against the Chicago Bears in an exhibition game at Soldier Field.[15]

Following his playing career, Kendall served as a high school teacher, principal, and sports coach. He first taught in Harlan, Kentucky,[16] interrupted by service in the United States Army during World War II.[17] He then taught in Owensboro from 1948 until his death.[18] Kendall died on November 25, 1965, at Owensboro Daviess County Hospital, a month after sustaining injuries in an automobile accident on U.S. Route 60 near Garfield, Kentucky.[19][16] He was survived by his wife, four sons, and three daughters.[18]

A park in Kendall's hometown of Owensboro was co-named in his honor in 1973.[20][21] Kendall was inducted into the Kentucky State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975,[22] and was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007,[2] becoming the first inductee from Kentucky State.[11] He was inducted to the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. 1940. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via fold3.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Joe Kendall (2007)". footballfoundation.org. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ Hagerman, Scott (July 16, 2007). "'One Of The Finest'". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. p. 1C. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Tennessee State Loses to W.K.I.C." The Paducah Sun-Democrat. Paducah, Kentucky. November 6, 1932. p. 11. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Kentucky Splashes Force's Green Wave". California Eagle. Los Angeles. ANP. October 19, 1934. p. 4-B. Retrieved August 21, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Dudley, Bruce (September 24, 1936). "K.S.I.C. Eleven May Fill Tough Scheduled Without A Defeat, Coach Believes". Courier Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. 16. Retrieved August 21, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Black College National Champions" (PDF). Football Championship Subdivision Records. NCAA. 2022. p. 98 – via fs.ncaa.org.
  8. ↑ "Negro Football". Miami Herald. December 8, 1935. p. 1-C. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Rattlers Hold KY. In Hectic 2nd Half". Pittsburgh Courier. December 14, 1935. pp. 2–4. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "College Football Hall of Fame/2007 Enshrinement: Joe Kendall". South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana. July 16, 2007. p. W3. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 3 "2011 Inductees". blackcollegefootballhof.org. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  12. ↑ Washington, Chester L. (December 29, 1934). "The All-American Eleven!". Pittsburgh Courier. pp. 2–5. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Washington, Chester L. (December 28, 1935). "'Bama State, Kentucky Get 2 Places on 11". Pittsburgh Courier. pp. 2–5. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Washington, Chester L. (January 2, 1937). "Here Are Ches Washington's Courier All-Americans For The Year 1936". Pittsburgh Courier. pp. 2–5. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Strickler, George (September 24, 1938). "Bears Roll Up 51 Points and Stars Get None". Chicago Tribune. p. 17. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  16. 1 2 "Joseph Kendall Dies, Had Been Injured in Auto". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. November 25, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "WWII Army Enlistment Records". National Archives. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via fold3.com.
  18. 1 2 "Joseph Kendall (cont'd)". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. November 25, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Owensboro High Coach, Joe N. Kendall, Dies". Courier Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. AP. November 27, 1965. p. B9. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Lyness, Jack (September 8, 1973). "City commissioners delay shelter location decision". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. p. 11. Retrieved August 19, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Kendall-Perkins Park". hmdb.org. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Joe Kendall". ksuthorobreds.com. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
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