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JOE KERBEL - INDUCTEE #59

hall of fame fast fact:

Joe Kerbel suffered a mild heart attack while coaching at WT, according to biographer Jack "Sleepy" Harris. Hospitalized in a no-visitation room, Kerbel called the office and instructed his assistant coaches to come to his room for a staff meeting. That worked until a nurse found out about it. The next day Kerbel phoned his assistants and had them report to the window outside his hospital room. That practice continued throughout his hospital stay.

Joe Kerbel

Seminole’s Joe Kerbel guided West Texas State University to its greatest success in Division I football and coached WT to a 68-43-1 record, with two bowl victories in 11 years.

Kerbel began his coaching success in Oklahoma, guiding the Cleveland High School Tigers to 20 wins and three losses in two years and a 1954 state title.

In 1955, when the Amarillo High job opened up, Kerbel grabbed it and revitalized AHS football, leading the Sandies to a 25-8 record in three years and into the State Class 3A semifinals in 1957.

After compiling a 74-16-2 high school coaching record, Kerbel served as an assistant at Texas Tech for two years before taking over at WT in 1960. The success of his teams in the 1960s was instrumental in landing the school an invitation to join the Missouri Valley Conference for the 1971 season.

Joe Kerbel died of a heart attack in March 1973 at age 51.