# List of Emporia State Hornets head football coaches

The Emporia State Hornets football program is a college football team that represents Emporia State University in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, a part of NCAA Division II. The team has had 24 head coaches since its first recorded football game in 1893. The current coach is Garin Higgins who first took the position for the 2007 season.

## Key

Key to symbols in coaches list :
| General | General | Overall | Overall | Conference | Conference | Postseason | Postseason |
| No. | Order of coaches | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties | C% | Conference winning percentage | | |
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage | | | | |

## Coaches

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2024 college football season.
| No. | Name | Term | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | CCs | NCs |
| X | no coach | 1893–1896 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| – | no team | 1897–1898 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| X | no coach | 1899 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | John Lamb | 1900 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | .611 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Fred A. Williams | 1901 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | .278 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Horace Botsford | 1902–1903 | 20 | 7 | 10 | 3 | .425 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 4, 6 | Paul Samson | 1904–1906 1908 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Owen Samuels | 1907 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Fred Honhart | 1909–1911 | 23 | 13 | 8 | 2 | .609 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | George Crispin | 1912–1913 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 9, 12 | Homer Woodson Hargiss | 1914–1917 1920–1927 | 95 | 61 | 23 | 11 | .700 | — | — | — | | — | — | 4 | — |
| 10 | H. D. McChesney | 1918 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | George McLaren | 1919 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | .250 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Fran Welch | 1928–1942 1946–1954 | 212 | 115 | 82 | 15 | .578 | — | — | — | | 1 | — | 6 | — |
| X | No team | 1943–1945 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | Keith Caywood | 1955–1966 | 109 | 25 | 79 | 5 | .252 | — | — | — | | — | 1 | — | — |
| 15 | Ron Blaylock | 1967–1968 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 2 | .368 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Jim Lance | 1969–1970 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | .389 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Harold Elliott | 1971–1973 | 29 | 17 | 11 | 1 | .603 | — | — | — | | — | 1 | 2 | — |
| 18 | Dave Hoover | 1974–1978 | 49 | 9 | 40 | 0 | .184 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Bob Seaman | 1979–1982 | 40 | 10 | 30 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Larry Kramer | 1983–1994 | 126 | 71 | 55 | 0 | .563 | — | — | — | | 2 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 21 | Manny Matsakis | 1995–1998 | 44 | 26 | 18 | 0 | .591 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Jerry Kill | 1999–2000 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Dave Wiemers | 2001–2006 | 67 | 35 | 32 | 0 | .522 | — | — | — | | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 24 | Garin Higgins | 2007–present | 197 | 113 | 84 | 0 | .574 | 93 | 80 | — | .538 | 6 | 4 | — | — |