Frank Kush

Frank Kush: Legendary but controversial coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils and later the NFL's Colts.

Frank Joseph Kush (January 20, 1929 – June 22, 2017) was an American football player and coach. As a player he earned All-American honors in 1952 as a defensive lineman playing for the Michigan State Spartans. He was head coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1979, compiling a record of 176–54–1. He was notorious for his brutal training methods in the Arizona heat and left collegiate coaching in 1980 embroiled in a lawsuit and with his program under the cloud of NCAA sanctions. Kush was also the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1981, the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1984, and the Arizona Outlaws of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1985. Kush was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1995.

Quick Facts

Born

20 January 1929

Birthplace

Windber, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Died

22 June 2017

Place of death

Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

Player positions

Defensive lineman

Overall record

176–54–1 (college)
11–4–1 (CFL)
11–28–1 (NFL)
8–10 (USFL)

Bowl record

6–1

Championships

2 Border (1959, 1961); 7 WAC (1969–1973, 1975, 1977)

Lore & Background

Kush was born in Windber, Pennsylvania. He played three years as a 5'7", 160-pound defensive lineman at Michigan State University from 1950 to 1952, earning All-American honors in 1952 helping the Spartans capture a national championship in his last season. After a stint in the United States Army, where Kush rose to the rank of first lieutenant as he coached the Fort Benning football team, he accepted a position as line coach at what was then Arizona State College under former assistant Spartan coach Dan Devine. When Devine left in 1958 to become the head coach at the University of Missouri, Kush was promoted as head coach of the Sun Devils, a post he would hold for the next 22 years. During his time at Arizona State, Kush earned a reputation as one of the most physically demanding coaches in the game. He was notorious for abusing his players both physically and emotionally. His daily football practices in the heat of the Arizona desert remain the stuff of legend. One drill was known as 'Bull in the Ring.' Players form a circle and Kush would put a player in the center. He would then call out a uniform number and blow his whistle. That player called would charge the player in the middle and the two would engage in padded full contact until Kush blew the whistle again. Whichever of the two players gave the best effort would go back to the circle, while the player 'dogging it' would remain until Kush decided he could quit. Another drill consisted of having only a center, quarterback, and two running backs line up on offense, with no other offensive lineman, and run running plays against the entire defense. Kush would run a running back into the line time and time again so he could get used to the punishment he would likely take in games. The most famous of Kush's motivational techniques was called 'Mount Kush.' Mount Kush was a steep hill near Camp Tontozona, the Sun Devils' training camp near Payson. It featured several large rocks, cacti, and no shade from the Arizona sun. If Kush felt a player especially needed discipline, that player would have to run up and down that hill numerous times. During his lengthy career in the desert, Kush compiled a record of 176–54–1, with only one losing season. In his first eleven years, he captured two conference titles and finished runner-up five times.

Reader's Guide

On October 13, 1979, Kush was fired as head coach for interfering with the school's internal investigation into Rutledge's allegations. Athletic director Fred Miller cited Kush's alleged attempts to pressure players and coaches into keeping quiet. The decision came just three hours before the team's home game against Washington. Kush was allowed to coach the game, with the Sun Devils pulling off an emotional 12–7 upset of the sixth-ranked Huskies, fueled by the angry crowd incensed by the decision. After the game ended, Kush was carried off the field by his team. The win gave him a 3–2 record on the season, but all three victories were later forfeited when it was determined that Arizona State had used ineligible players. After nearly two years, Kush would be found not liable in the case, but remained absent from the sideline throughout 1980, the first time in more than 30 years that he had been away from the game. Litigation related to the Rutledge incident continued until 1986. In 1980, the NCAA slapped Arizona State with two years' probation and a ban from postseason play in 1981 for multiple violations under Kush.