List of Fort Hays State Tigers head football coaches

The Fort Hays State Tigers football program is a college football team that represents Fort Hays State University in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, a part of NCAA Division II. The team has had 23 head coaches since its first recorded football game in 1902. After it was announced that head coach Kevin Verdugo would not return for the 2011 season, Chris Brown was announced as the new head coach.

The coach with the most wins for the team was Bob Cortese with 55, and James J. Yeager had the highest winning percentage at in 1935. Wayne J. McConnell coached the most games for the school, 155 games total from 1956 through 1968. One year coach Andrew Frank Schoeppel went on to become the 29th governor of Kansas from 1943 to 1947 and a U.S. senator from 1949 until his death. Jim Gilstrap went on to a successful coaching career in the Canadian Football League.

Key

Coaches Statistics correct as of the end of the 2025 season. No.NameTermGCOWOLOTO%CWCLCTC%PWPLCCsAwards0No coach1902–19122811107 — — — — — — — —1Ira Van Cleave1913–191413940 — — — — — — — —2W. G. Speer1915–1918241860 — — — — — — 1 —3Alfred J. Robertson19199360340 — — — —4Ralph Archer19208251231 — — — —5George Woodward1920–192222101021072 — — 1 —6William D. Weidein1923–1928491924614224 — — — —7Andrew Frank Schoeppel19297250240 — — — —8W. C. Riley1930–1934462119611141 — — 1 —9James J. Yeager193510820310 — — 1 —10Paul D. Waldorf1936–1941542521811131 — — 1 —11Bill Bearly19429180050 — — — —12Ralph Huffman1946–195588413710 202010 — — 1 —13Wayne J. McConnell1956–196811545673 20362 — — 1 —14Tom Stromgren1969–19712972113121 — — — —15Bill Giles1972–1978712444316232 — — 1 —16Bobby Thompson1979–1980, 19843192026132 — — — —17Jim Gilstrap1981–198332201111191 — — — —18John Vincent1985–1989502226216150 — — — —19Bob Cortese1990–199790553233512213 2 —20Jeff Leiker1998–200032131909150 — — — —21Tim O'Connor2001–2004442024015170 — — — —22Kevin Verdugo2005–2010641847011420 — — — —23Chris Brown 2011–present 1589663086580132 —

See also List of lists of people from Kansas

Notes

References