Dean Pryor

Head Coach (1957-62)

Dean Pryor, son of Fredonia’s long-time coach Cecil Pryor, grew up in Fredonia, Kansas, and attended Fredonia schools.

Dean grew up in athletics and participated in all sports, lettering in football, basketball, and track all four years in high school.  He was selected co-captain of the All State football team.  The Fredonia football team was undefeated Dean’s junior and senior years.  Dean was four-year starter in basketball and track.

Dean went on to attend the University of Arkansas where he was a starter three years and co-captain in 1952.

In track, Dean lettered three years, won the Kansas University Relays decathlon and finished eighth in the final Olympic trials in 1952.

In the U.S. Army Signal Corps for 24 months, Dean played and coached the Ft. Monmouth Post football team where he made All Army.

His first coaching job was at Lakeland, Florida High School as an assistant football and track coach.  It was a short year as Bill Jurney, an Arkansas teammate, hired Dean to be his assistant in football and track at Coffeyville Junior College in 1957.

A championship team was produced in 1959.  In 1960, Dean followed Bill Jurney as head coach.  The 1960 cross country and track teams won the National Championships, and the 1961 track team finished second.

In the spring of 1962, Dean accepted a position of assistant football coach at Wichita University.  The 1963 team won the Missouri Valley Conference.

After Wichita, Dean was named head coach at Hastings College in Nebraska.  He then spent seven years in college coaching and an additional five years as Athletic Director at Arkansas State University.

Dean and his wife Betty have spent the last 29 years in Jonesboro, Arkansas.