HOME                          Return to Coaches                                                                           November 29, 2011

John Starbuck    - First coach of the modern era                        

               John R. Starbuck was born 2-16-1915 in Smith Center, KS. He served in the Army Air Corps during WW II. He left the service with the rank of Major. He graduated from Colorado University where he played football 4 years. Fr. Henry Gardner hired him after several months of searching for a replacement for Coach "Bow Wow". 

                 He coached the first Hayden football team to win a league championship in 1948 (JAYHAWK LEAGUE Champion) and the first basketball team to ever win a League Championship in 1950 (JAYHAWK LEAGUE). Coach Starbuck guided the team to a repeat performance as football champions in 1949.   He worked for an insurance company briefly in Topeka before working as a teacher and coach at Osage City in 1952.

 He left Osage City and was a teacher, coach and administrator at Washington High School in Kansas City, Kansas. He died 12-26-1983. 

 Football Coach 1947-1949       15-11-1

 Basketball Coach 1947-50        39-21