:Kent Kessinger
{{Short description|American football player and coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Kent Kessinger
| image = Kent Kessinger.JPG
| alt =
| caption = Kessinger and his team preparing to take the field
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 1988–1991
| player_team1 = Bethany (KS)
| player_positions = Offensive lineman
| coach_years1 = 1995–2003
| coach_team1 = Augustana (SD) (OC)
| coach_years2 = 2004–2021
| coach_team2 = Ottawa (KS)
| overall_record = 108–85
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record = 1–6 (NAIA playoffs)
| championships = 4 KCAC (2009, 2011–2012, 2014)
| awards = 2× KCAC Coach of the Year (2009, 2011)
| coaching_records =
}}
Kent Kessinger is an American retired college football coach. He was the head football coach at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, from 2004 to 2021, compiling a record of 108–85.
Playing career
Kessinger is a graduate of Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, where he played offensive line under his father, Ted Kessinger.[http://football.victorysportsnetwork.com/teams.php?schoolID=92 Victory Sports Network] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330021756/http://football.victorysportsnetwork.com/teams.php/?schoolID=92 |date=March 30, 2009 }} Ottawa University
- [http://www.bethelks.edu/bc/news_publications/news/athletics/athnews.php/2004/09/18/threshers_to_open_season_against_ottawa Bethel College Athletic News]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} "Threshers to open season against Ottawa", Mark Schnabel, September 18, 2004
- [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20050902/ai_n15328909 Topeka Capital-Journal]{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} "Sports Front", Ken Corbitt, September 5, 2005
Coaching career
Part of Kessinger's coaching style was to encourage athletes to participate in more than one sport. "It breaks up the year, it gives them something to compete with when they're in the offseason, and if they really love to play it, then we encourage them to keep on doing it," he said{{cite news |url=http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2007/mar/21/bravest_braves/ |work=Emporia Gazette |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130122144535/http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2007/mar/21/bravest_braves/ |archivedate=January 22, 2013 |title=Bravest Of The Braves |author=Michael Ashford |date=March 21, 2007}}
Head coaching record
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = NAIA }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Ottawa Braves
| conf = Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
| startyear = 2004
| endyear = 2021
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2004
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 3–7
| conference = 3–6
| confstanding = T–8th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2005
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 5–5
| conference = 4–5
| confstanding = T–5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2006
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 1–9
| conference = 1–8
| confstanding = 10th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2007
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 4–6
| conference = 3–6
| confstanding = T–7th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2008
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 8–2
| conference = 7–2
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = 22
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 2009
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 11–1
| conference = 9–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname = NAIA Quarterfinal
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = 5
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2010
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 9–2
| conference = 8–1
| confstanding = 2nd
| bowlname = NAIA First Round
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = 10
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 2011
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 9–3
| conference = 9–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname = NAIA First Round
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = 10
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 2012
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 8–3
| conference = 8–1
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname = NAIA First Round
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = 16
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2013
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 8–4
| conference = 7–2
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname = NAIA First Round
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = 14
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 2014
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 9–3
| conference = 8–1
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname = NAIA First Round
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = 13
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2015
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 6–4
| conference = 6–3
| confstanding = 4th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2016
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 4–7
| conference = 4–5
| confstanding = 5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2017
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 3–8
| conference = 3–6
| confstanding = T–7th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2018
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 8–2
| conference = 8–2
| confstanding = 2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2019
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 2–8
| conference = 2–8
| confstanding = 10th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2020–21
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 5–5
| conference = 2–5
| confstanding = T–5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2021
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 5–6
| conference = 4–6
| confstanding = 7th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Ottawa
| overall = 108–85
| confrecord = 96–67
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 108–85
| bowls = no
| poll =
| polltype = Rankings from final NAIA Coaches' Poll
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Ottawa Braves football coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kessinger, Kent}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:American football offensive linemen
Category:Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings football coaches
Category:Bethany Swedes football players
Category:Ottawa Braves football coaches
{{2000s-collegefootball-coach-stub}}