Ken Purcell Wikipedia – Purcell, the renowned Texas football coach, began his coaching career in Plano. Purcell has been actively involved in coaching for about 50 years.
Purcell’s sporting career began during his high school years. He wanted to be a football player but realized he should become a coach instead. Ken explained in an interview that he became aware of the difference in level when he enrolled at the University of North Texas.
Purcell took his first coaching post a couple of years after graduation and hasn’t looked back since. Ken’s two sons became high school coaches, and he later served as an administrator in Denton.
Ken Purcell Wikipedia: Coaching Legend’s Age
Ken Purcell, the former football coach, is in his early 70s. Purcell has always had an interest in sports, whether it be football or running tracks. Purcell began his career at Vega High School in Texas. Coach Purcell was a Vega High School basketball and track athlete. In an interview, Ken mentioned that his high school football coach was a father figure in his life.
Coach Ken was raised without his father there, and his coach had a big impact on his life. Purcell claimed that he and his high school coach exchanged letters before his death. Purcell went on to play freshman ball at the University of North Texas after leaving Vega.
Even though he did not play college football, Purcell remained active with the athletic department and eventually joined the strength department. Purcell was supposed to be an assistant track coach, but he took his first coaching position in Tahoka, Texas. He was appointed offensive coordinator.
Purcell coached for a year before joining Plano. Ken began as the head freshmen coach at Plano and advanced to the post of offensive backfield coach in 1976. A year later, Plano won the title. In 1982, he was named offensive coordinator at Plano, but he shortly left for Allen.
Purcell remained Allen’s head coach for the next 14 years. After Allen, Ken joined the Denton administration. He was the athletic director for Denton ISD. Ken led his team to 12 state championships and was inducted into the Texas High School Athletic Directors’ “Hall of Honour” in 2009.
Ken Purcell Family: Wife and Children
Ken Purcell has two sons with his wife, Theresa Purcell. Theresa has been teaching for 32 years, including a decade at Davis Elementary in Plano. The couple has two children, Shannon and Shawn Purcell. The couple’s oldest kid, Shawn Purcell, is 53 and has followed in his father’s path.
He formerly worked as Corsicana’s offensive coordinator. Shawn was part of the Highland Park coaching staff when the Scots won the state championship in 2005. Shawn revealed in an interview in 2008 that he was married to Mindy, and the couple had two children: Mason and Ashley.
Shawn’s younger brother, Shanon Purcell, also won the state in 2005. He worked as Highland Park’s wide receiver coach. Shannon graduated from Texas A&M and began his varsity coaching career in 1998 as Richardson Pearce’s running and defensive backs coach. He coached Highland Park’s wide receivers from 1999 to 2005.
Shannon joined Wylie as offensive coordinator in 2006 but quit a few years later to become the head coach of Vines High School’s freshmen team. In 2011, he succeeded his father as Plano’s defensive coordinator.
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