Leonard J. Umnus

Leonard John Umnus (April 18, 1903 – April 13, 1996) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Fairmont College (now known as Wichita State University) in Wichita, Kansas from 1925 to 1927, Jordan College in Menominee, Michigan from 1932 to 1933, and Northwestern College (later merge into Martin Luther College) in Watertown, Wisconsin from 1935 to 1970.

Playing career Umnus enrolled at the University of Illinois in the fall of 1921. While at Illinois he played football with Red Grange under coach Robert Zuppke. Umnus was awarded "letters" for three years as a center and guard. He also was awarded athletic letters for Illinois in boxing.

Coaching career In 1925, Umnus was hired as the athletic director at Fairmont College—now known as Wichita State University—in Wichita, Kansas, succeeding Sam H. Hill. He served as the head football coach at the school from 1925 to 1927, compiling a record of 12–7–4. He also coached the basketball team for three seasons, tallying a mark of 47–14.

In 1929, Umnus returned to his alma mater, Illinois, as line coach for the freshman football team, assistant Carl M. Voyles, head coach of the freshman team. He earned a master's degree of the University of Iowa, and in late 1929, he was hired as athletic coach and physical education director at Tracy High School in Tracy, California, a position he took up in early 1930. That spring, Tracy was retained for the 1930–31 school year. in 1932, Umnus was appointed head athletic coach at Jordan College in Menominee, Michigan. He resigned from his post at Jordan College in 1934.

Umnus later coached at Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisconsin, which was later merged into Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. He was the head football coach at the school for 35 seasons and his teams produced a record of 135–64–9. At Northwestern, he coached all sports including baseball, basketball, tennis, and wrestling.

Head coaching record College football