Quick Facts
Biography
Donald Preston "Don" Fambrough (October 19, 1922 – September 3, 2011) was an American football player and coach. He was the head coach at the University of Kansas.
Early life
Fambrough was born on October 19, 1922 in Longview, Texas to Ivey and Willie Whittington Fambrough. He attended Longview High School.
College football/military career
Fambrough played college football at Texas in 1941 and 1942 before serving in the US Army Air Corps during World War II. After returning home from the war, he and his wife moved to Lawrence, Kansas. While in Lawrence, he chose to play football at the University of Kansas.
Coaching career
His first coaching job was at Kansas as assistant from 1948 to 1953. After that, he served as an assistant at East Texas State and Wichita State. Fambrough eventually found his way back to Kansas as assistant coach under Jack Mitchell from 1958. Following the 1970 season, he got his dream job as the head coach at Kansas before the 1971 season. He served as the coach of Kansas from 1971 to 1974 and again from 1979 to 1982 and compiled a 37–48–5 record as a head coach.
Later life
Fambrough remained involved in Kansas football leading up to his death, and would occasionally take part in team practices. The school dedicated a bench overlooking Memorial Stadium to him in 2007. Fambrough is known for his hatred of rival Missouri and gave an annual anti-Missouri speech to the football team before each Border War game.
Personal life
He married his wife, Delfred Few, on October 4, 1941. Del Fambrough, who taught English for many years at Lawrence High School, preceded him in death on November 17, 2001. The couple had two children, sons Robert and Preston.
Death
Farmbrough died September 3, 2011 at his home in Lawrence, Kansas from head injuries sustained in a fall. He was survived by two children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Jayhawks (Big Eight Conference) (1971–1974) | |||||||||
| 1971 | Kansas | 4–7 | 2–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 1972 | Kansas | 4–7 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1973 | Kansas | 7–4–1 | 4–2–1 | T–2nd | L Liberty | 15 | 18 | ||
| 1974 | Kansas | 4–7 | 1–6 | T–7th | |||||
| Kansas Jayhawks (Big Eight Conference) (1979–1982) | |||||||||
| 1979 | Kansas | 3–8 | 2–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 1980 | Kansas | 4–5–2 | 3–3–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1981 | Kansas | 8–4 | 4–3 | T–3rd | L Hall of Fame Classic | ||||
| 1982 | Kansas | 2–7–2 | 1–5–1 | T–6th | |||||
| Kansas: | 37–48–5 | 20–33–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 37–48–5 | ||||||||
| #Rankings from final Coaches Poll. | |||||||||