# Melvin J. Binford

Melvin J. Binford (February 8, 1903 – September 12, 1984) was an American college football and college basketball coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas from 1930 to 1935 and the Municipal University of Wichita—now known as Wichita State University—from 1944 to 1945.

## Coaching career
### McPherson

Binford was the head football coach at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas, serving for six seasons, from 1930 until 1935, and compiling a record of 23–26–4.

### El Dorado

In 1939, McPherson was hired as athletic director and coach of all sports at El Dorado Junior College—now known as Butler Community College—in El Dorado, Kansas.

### Wichita State

Binford was the 17th head football coach at the Municipal University of Wichita—now known as Wichita State University, serving for two seasons, from 1944 to 1945, and compiling a record of 11–6–1. Binford "re-started" the program after a one-year hiatus (1943) when the school did not field a team.
Binford was more successful as Wichita's fourteenth head basketball coach. He assumed the head coaching job for the 1942–43 season, then restarted the program after it was suspended for the 1943–44 season during World War II. He coached the Shockers' basketball team for a total of five seasons, building a record of 60–50.

## Later life and death

Binford moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1982 from Casa Grande, Arizona. He died on September 12, 1984, in St. Petersburg.

## Head coaching record
### College football

| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing |
| McPherson Bulldogs (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) (1930–1935) ||||||
| 1930 | McPherson | 1–7 | 0–4 | 5th |
| 1931 | McPherson | 2–6–1 | 1–2–1 | T–4th |
| 1932 | McPherson | 3–6 | 0–4 | 5th |
| 1933 | McPherson | 7–2 | 3–1 | 2nd |
| 1934 | McPherson | 6–2–1 | 3–1–1 | 3rd |
| 1935 | McPherson | 4–3–2 | 2–1–2 | 3rd |
| McPherson: | McPherson: | 23–26–4 | 9–13–4 | |
| Wichita Shockers (Independent) (1944) ||||||
| 1944 | Wichita | 5–2–1 | | |
| Wichita Shockers (Missouri Valley Conference) (1945) ||||||
| 1945 | Wichita | 6–4 | 1–1 | 3rd |
| Wichita: | Wichita: | 11–6–1 | 1–1 | |
| Total: | Total: | 34–32–5 | | |

### College basketball

Statistics overview :
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing |
| Oklahoma City Goldbugs (Independent) (1936–1939) ||||||
| 1936–37 | Oklahoma City | 23–8 | | |
| 1937–38 | Oklahoma City | 7–15 | | |
| 1938–39 | Oklahoma City | 10–8 | | |
| Oklahoma City: | Oklahoma City: | 40–31 (.563) | | |
| Wichita Shockers (Independent) (1942–1945) ||||||
| 1942–43 | Wichita | 12–7 | | |
| 1944–45 | Wichita | 14–6 | | |
| Wichita Shockers (Missouri Valley Conference) (1945–1948) ||||||
| 1945–46 | Wichita | 14–9 | 6–4 | 2nd |
| 1946–47 | Wichita | 8–17 | 2–10 | 7th |
| 1947–48 | Wichita | 12–13 | 1–9 | 6th |
| Wichita: | Wichita: | 60–52 (.536) | 9–23 (.281) | |
| Total: | Total: | – (–) | | |

### Junior college football

| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing |
| Hutchinson Blue Dragons (Kansas Junior College Conference) (1929) ||||||
| 1929 | Hutchinson | 3–4–1 | 2–2 | T–5th |
| Hutchinson: | Hutchinson: | 3–4–1 | 2–2 | |
| El Dorado Grizzlies (Kansas Junior College Conference) (1939–1941) ||||||
| 1939 | El Dorado | 4–4 | 3–4 | 7th |
| 1940 | El Dorado | 3–5–1 | 2–4–1 | 9th |
| 1941 | El Dorado | 6–3 | 6–2 | 4th |
| El Dorado: | El Dorado: | 13–12–1 | 2–2 | |
| Total: | Total: | 16–16–2 | | |