.jpg) Fry, circa 1949 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1902-12-10)December 10, 1902 Hartley, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | November 11, 1970(1970-11-11) (aged 67) La Mesa, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1923–1925 | Iowa |
| 1926–1927 | New York Yankees |
| Position(s) | Fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1928–1932 | Classen HS (OK) |
| 1933 | Oklahoma City |
| 1934 | Kansas State (assistant) |
| 1935–1939 | Kansas State |
| 1940–1946 | Northwestern (assistant) |
| 1947–1956 | California (assistant) |
| Baseball | |
| 1935–1938 | Kansas State |
| 1944–1946 | Northwestern |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1960–1963 | Oakland Raiders (GM) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 26–22–6 (college football) 44–9–1 (high school football) 53–53–2 (college baseball) |
Wesley Leonard "Cowboy" Fry (December 10, 1902 – November 11, 1970) was anAmerican football player, coach of football andbaseball, and professional football executive. He served as the head football coach atOklahoma City University in 1933 and atKansas State University from 1935 to 1939, tallying a careercollege football coach mark of 26–22–6. Fry was also the head baseball coach at Kansas State from 1935 to 1938 and atNorthwestern University from 1944 to 1946, compiling a careercollege baseball record of 53–53–2. He later served as director of player personnel and then as general manager with theOakland Raiders of theAmerican Football League (AFL) from 1960 to 1963.
Fry played college football at theUniversity of Iowa under legendary coachHoward Jones, excelling as afullback. He was named to play in the firstEast–West Shrine Game following his senior season in 1925. Fry then spent the 1926 and 1927 seasons playing professional football withRed Grange for theNew York Yankees of theNational Football League (NFL). At the same time, Fry attendedlaw school.
After earning his law degree, Fry quit playing professional football and sought to practice law inOklahoma, but he was quickly diverted onto the path of a football coach. He began his career coaching football atClassen High School inOklahoma City. In his five seasons at Classen, from 1928 to 1932, his football teams compiled a record of 44–9–1. At Classen, Fry also coached thetrack team. In 1933, Fry served at the head football coach atOklahoma City University, leading his squad to an 8–1 record.[1] The following year, when futureHall of Fame coachPappy Waldorf moved north fromOklahoma A&M toKansas State University, he hired Fry to be his lone assistant coach. Waldorf left Kansas State after one season, and Fry was hired as the new head coach in 1935.
Fry held the head coaching position at Kansas State for five seasons, posting an 18–21–6 record. Fry also coached the baseball team at Kansas State during this time. Fry stepped aside following the 1939 season, but not before coaching thesecond-ever televised college football game.
For the 1940 season, Fry rejoined Waldorf as an assistant coach atNorthwestern University. In 1947, Fry moved with Waldorf to theUniversity of California. Fry remained Waldorf's assistant coach at Cal through the end of Waldorf's term, in 1956, despite receiving offers of head coaching positions fromOregon State University andArizona State University.
In 1960, Fry joined the Oakland Raiders organization, which was commencing operations as a member of theAmerican Football League. He first served as director of player personnel, then as general manager of the franchise until 1963, whenAl Davis was hired as general manager and head coach. Fry died on November 11, 1970, at his home inLa Mesa, California.[2]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Goldbugs(Independent)(1933) | |||||||||
| 1933 | Oklahoma City | 8–1 | |||||||
| Oklahoma City: | 8–1 | ||||||||
| Kansas State Wildcats(Big Six Conference)(1935–1939) | |||||||||
| 1935 | Kansas State | 2–4–3 | 1–2–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1936 | Kansas State | 4–3–2 | 2–1–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1937 | Kansas State | 4–5 | 1–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1938 | Kansas State | 4–4–1 | 1–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1939 | Kansas State | 4–5 | 1–4 | T–4th | |||||
| Kansas State: | 18–21–6 | 6–14–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 26–22–6 | ||||||||
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State Wildcats(Big Six Conference)(1935–1938) | |||||||||
| 1935 | Kansas State | 4–5 | |||||||
| 1936 | Kansas State | 5–9 | |||||||
| 1937 | Kansas State | 8–4–1 | |||||||
| 1938 | Kansas State | 8–7 | |||||||
| Kansas State: | 25–25–1 (.500) | ||||||||
| Northwestern Wildcats(Big Ten Conference)(1944–1946) | |||||||||
| 1944 | Northwestern | 13–3–1 | |||||||
| 1945 | Northwestern | 7–13 | |||||||
| 1946 | Northwestern | 8–12 | |||||||
| Northwestern: | 28–28–1 (.500) | ||||||||
| Total: | 53–53–2 (.500) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||