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Dodge City Community College Athletics

Hall of Fame - Herb Bender

Herb Bender
Herb Bender
Basketball Coach
Induction Year: 1989

 
Herb Bender was born in 1915 in Russell County, Kansas. He graduated from Luray High School in 1934 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Fort Hays State University in 1938, where he participated on three consecutive championship teams. He played professional football with the 1938 Cleveland Rams and the 1939 Brooklyn Eagles (teammate of Vince Lombardi). Mr. Bender in the United States Navy in the Southwest Pacific from 1945-46. He became the first Driver's Education instructor in Western Kansas in Dodge City in 1947 and was an active Lions Club member. 

Herb became the coach of the Dodge City Junior College basketball team in 1947 until 1952 with a record of 103 wins and 40 losses. He is one of the first coaches to use the zone defense in basketball. Coach Bender took the Dodge City teams to the NJCAA National tournament five years in a row finishing fourth, seventh, eighth, seventh and 10th. He was vice-president of the NJCAA Region 16 from 1948-52. During the same time, Coach Bender was the football coach at the college, from 1947-51, with a record of 21 wins, 20 losses, and two ties. 

Coach Bender taught and coached for 38 years, with an overall record of 472 wins, 160 losses, and 10 ties including coaching at Ulysses and at Pratt. He coached three undefeated teams in football and was inducted into the Kansas State High school Association Hall of Fame in 1989.