Hall of fame coach Kenney dies

Joe Kenney's hand prints are all over the athletic departments at a bunch of Metro high schools.He coached at old St. Patrick's High and was the first baseball and boys' basketball coach at old Cedar Rapids LaSalle in 1962. He also coached both of those sports at Cedar Rapids Washington before moving to the other side of town, where he ended his 47-year teaching and coaching career at Cedar Rapids Jefferson."He was a good coach, a real personable man," said legendary former Cedar Rapids Washington baseball coach Pinky Primrose, for whom Kenney was an assistant in the 1970s. "And he has a wonderful family."Kenney died Thursday in his home at the age of 86 after a long illness. An Iowa Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer, he is 11th on the all-time victories list with a 753-402 career record.He also was selected for hall of fames at Jefferson and Cedar Rapids Xavier."The west side has lost an icon," said Jefferson baseball coach Mike Kuba."Next to my parents, he was the most influential person to me in terms of how I wanted to live my life," said Jefferson Athletics Director Scott Kibby. "He had his priorities straight. Family and faith always came first."Kibby played for Kenney in 1981 and 1982 and was an assistant coach for him from 1986 to 1997. Kenney hired Kuba to be Jefferson's eighth-grade coach in 1995.Both remember Kenney for his values and for the family affair his games always were. His wife, Janie, and their five children always seemed to be around."He was a very strict coach, always had high expectations," Kibby said. "Yet he really enjoyed his kids ... The one thing about Joe I always remember is that in all the years I was around him, I never heard him swear. Ever.""I got to know pretty well," Kuba said. "He wouldn't have to say anything and he could still light up a room. He always had the best interests of the kids at heart. He always looked out for the kids."Kenney is survived by three sons, two daughters and 15 grandchildren."Everybody loved him," Primrose said.