Throwback Thursday: WKU Football Celebrating 100th Season
WKU Football is celebrating its 100th season this year. This week we go back to the turn of the 20th century to remember the program’s roots.
It all started in 1913. Even though Western Kentucky Normal School had a football team since 1908, they didn’t officially play sanctioned games until five years later. The team had a few coaches during its first seasons and didn’t even play from 1917 to 1919 because of WWI.
You may recognize Coach L.T. Smith, the namesake for the current WKU home stadium. He coached for two years starting in 1920. Then another famous name took the reins, as E.A. Diddle became Head Coach from 1922 to 1928. During this time he also coached the basketball team.
Coaches Carl Anderson and William “Gander” Terry filled in the gap during the Great Depression years. The football team again did not play the 1943 to 1945 seasons because of WWII.
Post-WWII began the Jimmy Feix era. Beginning as a player in 1949, he would call WKU home for 40 years. He was assistant coach under Nick Denes for over a decade, and then named head in 1968. Coach Feix became the longest and most winningest coach in WKU Football history.
Then Coach Jack Harbaugh led the team for 14 seasons starting in 1989. With the help of his sons, Jim and John, who were part of the NFL, Harbaugh essentially saved the program from being shut down in the early 1990s and recruited all-stars like Willie Taggart.
WKU Football has had some incredible moments under Willie Taggart, Bobby Petrino, and Jeff Brohm ever since, competing in post-season bowl games for the past couple of years. Head Coach Mike Sanford is leading the Hilltoppers into their official 100th season this year.
