Hall of Fame
The fortunes of Monmouth College football have ebbed and flowed during a history dating back to 1888. A century after that first gridiron battle, the program’s longest-tenured coach, Kelly Kane, presided over one of its most dominating periods.
Following the famous 3-0 “Mud Bowl” loss to Coe in 1986, Kane led the Fighting Scots to 26 consecutive regular season victories and Midwest Conference South Division titles in 1987, 1988 and 1989. Those campaigns came in the midst of a five-year record of 41-7, with three of those losses against St. Norbert in MWC title tilts.
With his trademark option attack, Kane won 71 games at Monmouth, sandwiched between successful stints at the high school level. A member of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Kane won 125 games in his prep career, leading Spring Valley Hall, Galesburg and Streator to some of their best seasons in recent memory.
