The Legend of Arizona’s Frank Kush

Frank Kush is a legend of Arizona State football. His

performance as head coach brought a small-

college program into the headlines of college

sports.

Kush arrived at Arizona State as the assistant coach

in 1955. He was promoted to the head coach job in

1958, after his superior left to coach at the

University of Missouri.

Over the next 22 years he created a reputation as

one of the fiercest and most successful head coaches in Arizona State’s history.

Numbers-wise, Arizona State hasn’t seen a coach like him. After 22 years, he logged a record of 176-54-

1.

A Unique Coaching Style

His time saw five consecutive Western Athletic Conference championships. If they weren’t winning the

other championships, they were playing in the big games.

Over six years (1970-1975), he led the Sun Devils to a 62-9 record and won all of five bowl games.

Throughout his career he only lost one bowl game, and that was the Fiesta Bowl in 1976. His record

turned the Sun Devils into a competitive national team that other teams had to work to defeat.

Kush’s secret was the conditioning he put his team through. He was a fierce coach, pushing his team to

the full extent of their fitness capabilities.

One of his famous drills was called the “Bull in the

Ring.” This drill was saved for those he thought

could use a bit of extra encouragement in

practice.

He would have the team line up in a big circle.

The player needing a bit of motivation would be

called to the center.

The coach would then call out a number at

random. The player with that number would rush

the man in the middle.

The two would grapple until the coach blew his whistle. The player that put in the best effort would get

the privilege of returning to the circle.

His vision was to have the best conditioned players on the field. That way, when it came down to the

last few minutes of the game, his team could have the advantage to win.

It worked too. His career proves the conditioning paid off, and Arizona State t-shirts are worn with pride

because of the accomplishments that followed.

Frank Kush’s Legacy

His success on the field led to a number of other benefits for the university and public at large. It

sparked the interest of investors to help build some of the grandest sports facilities of any university.

The Sun Devil Stadium was expanded to

include over 70,000 seats. Kush used his

influence to later start the Frank Kush

Youth Foundation, an organization created

to inspire youth to be self-disciplined; have

confidence; get involved with the family;

and live healthier, more productive lives.

The foundation does this by putting on a 5k

run every year. The proceeds from the race

go to help a number of youth clubs

including various Boys & Girl clubs, and

youth centers around the state.

Arizona State t-shirts still carry the pride of a university program that will never be the same because of

this great man. The football team and university continually look to perform with excellence in

everything they do.

Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley, John M. Quick, Scott Jones,