KCKCC ’ s golf legacy is also unique in that the program basically had only three head coaches in its 88 years . Iden Reese founded the program in 1935 and held the coaching reins for 37 years ; Frank Bigham was at the coaching helm for 29 years , and Shrader ( photo on left ) for the final 23 years . Other than a brief tenure by Chris Williams in 2000 , no one else ever coached KCKCC golf .
The longest serving coach at KCKCC , Reese was arguably the most successful . His 1949 team was crowned national champion after finishing second in 1948 and third in 1950 . In the 22 seasons in which records are available , Reese ’ s teams won nine Kansas State Junior College Conference championships and five Interstate Conference crowns . Three teams were undefeated , and there may have been more . The Blue Devils were well on their way to a fifth straight conference championship when World War II necessitated discontinuing the program for four seasons ( 1942-46 ). When the sport was resumed , KCKCC won yet another conference title .
Frank Bigham began his 29-year career in 1970 and immediately won championships in the newly formed Jayhawk Conference in 1971 and 1972 . After three second and two third places in the late 1970s , Bigham ’ s teams dominated the 1990s , winning back-to-back Jayhawk titles in 1990 and 1991 and three in a row starting in 1994 . They were even more dominant in Region VI of the NJCAA , winning six regionals in a span of eight years starting in 1990 .
The pinnacle of KCKCC golf was reached in 1994-95 . Led by Robert Russell , the Blue Devils won or tied for first in seven of eight tournaments , won the Region VI championship , and finished sixth in the 1995 national tournament , an almost unheard-of finish for a northern team in a tournament historically dominated by teams in warm-weather states like Florida , Alabama , Texas , and Arizona .
Russell capped the historic run with a dramatic eagle on the final hole . Trailing by one stroke , Russell ignored Bigham ’ s advice to lay up on his second shot and rifled a 3-iron 242 yards over water , then drained the eagle putt from 15 feet . “ It was incredible ,” said Bigham . “ I don ’ t care what tournament it is ; you make an eagle to win , that ’ s something . What a putt ! What a finish !”
Gary Shrader ’ s 23-year career was highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the 2015 NJCAA DII national tournament , a feat bordering on the unbelievable because the team was made up of all Kansas players . “ We had five kids who lived no more than 30 miles from campus ,” Shrader said proudly . “ It was probably the most fun year I had .”
Team members were Montana Fasching and Charlie Rinehart , both of Piper ; Marc McClain , Bonner Springs ; Seve Sites , SM West ; and
With a team made up entirely of Kansas players , KCKCC finished an unprecedented fifth in the 2015 NJCAA DII national golf tournament dominated by Sun Belt teams . The team ( from left ) is Eric Forestall , Olathe East ; Matt McClain , Bonner Springs ; Charlie Rinehart , Piper ; Assistant Coach Alex Otting ( with blue hat ); Montana Fasching , Piper ; and Steve Sites , SM West .
Alex Forristal of Olathe East , the regional tournament medalist . All five were with either first-or second-team All-Region VI ; Rinehart and McClain second-team All-Jayhawk .
While Shrader ’ s team never won a Jayhawk title , he took teams or individuals to the NJCAA national tournament 13 times –– a remarkable feat considering he was fielding teams made up of Kansas players going up against rivals loaded with international players . For instance , Hutchinson won two national and four straight Jayhawk championships with five of eight players from either England , Sweden , or Ireland . Barton County ’ s 2023 roster included three players from Thailand , two from Sweden , and one each from England and France . Three players from Thailand and one from South Africa dotted Dodge City ’ s roster . KCKCC ’ s roster in 2023 was made up of seven players , six from Kansas and one from Oklahoma .
“ I would say I was more than blessed to have the opportunity to take kids who wanted to behave themselves and play golf to be able to do that ,” says Shrader . “ All the money we raised through fundraising efforts went to the kids playing golf ,” he said . “ We entered every tournament we could in order to have the kids improve . And they did .”
In the nearly 90 years of KCKCC golf , an estimated 500 golfers teed it up . Since 1975 , 75 Blue Devils earned scholarships to four-year colleges , including 24 at NCAA DI universities , 32 at NCAA DII , and 19 at NAIA schools . �
Alan Hoskins , Golf Writer Lead Feature Writer since 2007 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE ™ Magazine
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