Know your Trojan coach: Kenny Edenfield

By Drew Champlin

Published: September 30, 2008

TROY—Kenny Edenfield is back where he started.

The inside receivers coach for Troy played for the Trojans from 1986-88 and was a part of the 1987 Division II national championship team. After leading North Alabama’s offense for the past six years, Edenfield was hired at Troy after last season.

Edenfield has made several coaching stops along the way, even coaching NFL All-Pro defensive lineman Warren Sapp in high school. He is married with children ages 6, 11, 13 and 16.

How did you get back to Troy?

When (Tony Franklin) left, it was a little bit later I guess, I don’t know exactly when, but Coach Blakeney had called and asked if I would be interested. I told him, ‘For sure.’ I’d been wanting to get here for a long time, so I was excited when he called. We were able to work through the process and here I am.

Were your children excited about the move to Troy?

No, they were very apprehensive just for the fact they had grown up in Florence and been there for six years. We had moved plenty of times earlier, but that was what they knew. They were a little sad, but once we got here, they had been around Troy a bunch with their grandparents here, but once they got here it was pretty smooth. My 6-year-old, she was excited because she knew she was going to see her grandparents. The rest of them had a bunch of friends so it made it a little tougher.

Was it a goal to get to Troy as a coach?

I don’t know if it was a goal but I had wanted to get here. Troy had been making a good little run.

Most memorable coaching moment?

A couple of them. The first time I was a head coach in Orlando at Dr. Phillips, we were able to beat a rival (Evans) and win the conference for the first time in school history. That was good and in junior college, when I was a head coach, we made the state championship for the first time in 30 years, and being at North Alabama and making a couple of runs at the national championship.

Most embarrassing coaching moment?

I don’t know if it’s screwed something up, but when we were at Tulsa and playing Oklahoma, we were down 20-0 at halftime and we came out thinking we had a chance and the next thing you knew it’s 55-0. That was a tough game right there and we might have scored one late, but it was out of control by then. That was one of those games where you didn’t know what to do. Nothing worked. You just feel helpless.

Most heartbreaking coaching moment?

In ’05 at UNA, we had gotten beat by NW Missouri in the semifinal game at home. There were several cases where we had a chance. We had fourth and 1 at the goal line and didn’t get in on a quarterback sneak. Another situation where we missed points, and if we get those we’re in the championship. You wish you could call those plays again. You still call QB sneak, but felt like we should have won that game for sure.

What made you want to get into coaching?

Originally I was like everybody else and I wanted to make a lot of money. I went into computers or math or something, but I loved sports so I knew I wanted to stay in that. I changed my major to education and got into coaching.

Is Warren Sapp the best player you’ve ever coached?

Yeah, he’s one of them. There’s another kid on that team, Jeremy Rudolph, who was a phenomenal athlete. He played junior college then at UNLV and made it in the Canadian Football League and that was it. He might have been the greatest player. Sapp’s phenomenal, but he just had tremendous ability, this other kid.

You’re in the press box for games. What are your game duties?

Helping with coverages, making suggestions in the passing game. Just helping Neal have eyes up there since it’s hard to see everything on the field level. Guys in the box are the eyes for the guys on the field.

Is it just a big conference call over the headsets?

Everybody’s pretty quiet unless they’re asked a question. The main guy calling the plays does most of the talking. Everyone else is there to see and help out.

What’s something that people don’t know you have to do, or some of the dirty work in coaching?

I guess the dirty work is making sure all these guys go to class and keeping up with their academic work. It’s part of what we have to do and I’ve always done that. You would think that staying on top academically is something they would want to do themselves, but some of them you still have to twist their arm to make them do it.

Eventual career goals?

I’d like to be a head coach again. Not right there at this moment, but right now I’d like to win a lot of football games and see how it goes, but ultimately be a head coach again.