A . R . Kennedy Albert Rutherford " Bert " Kennedy ( October , 24 1876 – September 5 , 1969 ) was an American football player and coach . He was born on the family farm in rural Wakarusa Township , just outside of Lawrence , Kansas to Leander Jack Kennedy ( September 21 , 1836 – June 29 , 1903 ) and Amanda E . Kennedy ( née Todd ) ( November 23 , 1841 – March 4 , 1926 ) . He played college football at both the University of Kansas , three seasons from 1895 to 1897 including one as team captain , and at the University of Pennsylvania , for one season in 1899 . Kennedy also played one year of professional football immediately after graduating from Penn . During this time he played in the first professional football game ever played in Madison Square Garden which was also the first indoor professional football game ever played . After his one and only year of playing professionally , he returned to his home state of Kansas and coached football at Washburn University ( 1903 , 1916 – 1917 ) , at the University of Kansas ( 1904 – 1910 ) , and at the Haskell Institute , now known as Haskell Indian Nations University , ( 1911 – 1916 ) , compiling a career record of 96 – 43 – 10 . His 52 wins with the Kansas Jayhawks football team are the most in the program ' s history . Coaching career . Washburn . Kennedy was the eighth and then the fifteenth head football coach for Washburn University in Topeka , Kansas and he held that position for the 1903 season , and then returned for the 1916 and 1917 seasons . His overall coaching record at Washburn was 12 wins , 12 losses , and 3 ties . Kansas . Kennedy was the 11th head football coach for the University of Kansas Jayhawks located in Lawrence , Kansas and he held that position for seven seasons , from 1904 until 1910 . His overall coaching record at Kansas ) was 52 wins , 9 losses , and 4 ties . This ranks him first at Kansas in terms of total wins and second at Kansas in terms of winning percentage . Kennedy is one of the best performing coaches for Kansas in the Border War ( as of 2007 called " Border Showdown " ) between Kansas and Missouri going 4 - 1 - 2 ( . 714 ) against them as a coach and 7 - 1 - 2 ( . 800 ) against them cumulatively as a coach and player . Haskell Indian Nations . Kennedy was the head coach of the Haskell Indian Nations Fighting Indians football team from 1911 until 1916 . At Haskell , his teams managed 32 wins , 22 losses , and 3 ties . Later life , death , and legacy . Aside from coaching , Kennedy practiced dentistry non - stop for 62 years , even while coaching , until he was 89 . He was also briefly the director of athletics for the Manhattan , Kansas YMCA . He and his wife , Mary Theressa Kennedy ( née Kennard ) , had four children . His youngest son , Ted Kennedy , was a two time mayor of Lawrence , Kansas and is a lifelong dentist in Lawrence , Kansas . He also played a major part in the building of Lake Clinton . His second youngest son , Jesse Kennard " Bud " Kennedy ( April 22 , 1907 – June 24 , 1966 ) was the head men ' s basketball coach at Florida State University from 1948 until his untimely death in 1966 . Kennedy died on September 5 , 1969 at the age of 92 . He was survived by his 2nd wife , Harriet H . Kennedy ( January 27 , 1893 – December 19 , 1969 ) , daughter , Mrs . Ruth King , and sons Leander Jack Kennedy and Ted Kennedy . Kennedy was laid to rest in Memorial Park Cemetery in Lawrence , Kansas .