Wade Stinson, a former standout Kansas University running back who later became KU’s athletics director, died Sunday.
Stinson, who headed the Jayhawks’ athletics department from 1964-72, died in Diamondhead, Miss. He was 74.
Stinson, who hailed from the tiny north-central Kansas town of Randall, enrolled at KU in 1947 after a tour of military duty. During his senior year in 1950, Stinson rushed for 1,129 yards in 10 games at that time a school record.
Stinson now ranks No. 5 on the Jayhawks’ all-time single-season rushing list behind Tony Sands, June Henley, Laverne Smith and John Riggins.
Stinson played football despite suffering a serious injury to his left hand in a U.S. Army training accident. Stinson lost his thumb in the mishap, but doctors refashioned his index finger into a makeshift thumb. He always wore a glove on the damaged hand while playing football.
Stinson was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, but decided to enter the insurance business instead. He was working for Equitable Life in Chicago in 1964 when he was tapped to replace the retiring Dutch Lonborg.
During his eight-year tenure as Kansas AD, Stinson gained a reputation as a no-nonsense bottom-liner.
John Novotny was listed as the athletics department’s business manager during the latter years of Stinson’s tenure.
“He was very conscious of a dollar,” Novotny said. “In fact, he was very close to being the business manager. He thought that was part of his job. He delegated other responsibilities, but he didn’t delegate dollars.”
Novotny, who still lives in Lawrence, called Stinson’s death “a real loss. He was a tremendous individual who never got the appreciation he should have.”
One of Stinson’s most controversial moves was to fire highly successful track coach Bill Easton in 1965.
Easton had ordered two pole vault boxes he believed were necessary for the Kansas Relays. Stinson disagreed and told Easton to return them. Easton didn’t. Stinson fired him.
He hired track coach Bob Timmons in ’65.
“This comes as a complete surprise,” Timmons said. “I thought an awful lot of Wade. He was a good AD, had strong character and he was a decision maker. I liked the way he handled things, what he stood for. This is a big disappointment.
“He was the kind of AD, you’d go in his office and ask him for something. His first answer was, ‘No.’ If you put it in a way he understood and thought was important, he’d do it. I just liked the way he ran things.”
Current Kansas AD Bob Frederick was an assistant basketball coach on Mount Oread during the last years of Stinson’s tenure.
“He was very competitive and very business-like,” Frederick said. “I had a lot of respect for him.”
Stinson, in fact, did Frederick a favor by hiring him as golf coach in the spring of 1972.
“I didn’t know anything about coaching golf,” Frederick said, “but he knew I was about to get married and I needed the money.”
Stinson was not a schmoozer. He didn’t believe it was his job to go out and glad-hand the alumni and boosters. Or as one critic said: “Wade is to public relations what strip-mining is to the ecology.”
Finally in 1972, with KU looking for a new chancellor and his support eroding, Stinson resigned and went into the banking business in St. Louis.
Stinson and his wife Copper retired to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1984. She survives of the home. The Stinsons were two months shy of their 50th wedding anniversary.
Stinson is also survived by three children Dr. Wade Stinson of Florence, Ala.; David Stinson of Mebane, N.C.; and Nancy Blue of Olathe and a brother Bob Stinson of Salina.
Services are scheduled Thursday in Diamondhead.
