Died Monday, April 28, 1997

He was 54.

Kenny was assistant football coach at NAU in the early 70’s

Kenneth Lee Sawin, longtime coach and former West Texas State University interim athletic director, died Monday, April 28, 1997, in Austin. He was 54. Mr. Sawin was born in Bellevue, Ohio. He graduated from Bellevue High School in 1961. He earned a bachelor of science degree in 1966 and a master of science degree in 1974, both from Northern Arizona University. He married Carol Williams in 1964 at Tucson, Ariz. Mr. Sawin was an assistant football coach at West Texas State University during the 1982 and 1983 seasons. He was named the Buffs' assistant athletic director in February of 1984 and was given the responsibilities of ticket sales, promotions and fund raising. In a 1984 Globe-News article, Sawin said, ``I'm not a guy who goes in for a lot of phony hype. The product has got to sell itself. Our product is the young men and women that graduate from WT and become coaches and teachers.''

In November of 1984, Mr. Sawin was named interim athletic director. Before coming to WT, Sawin was a successful high school and junior college football coach in Arizona. His teams won two state titles and finished second twice. In 1980, he guided Eastern Arizona Junior College to its first winning season in eight years. Mr. Sawin's other professional experiences include being a National Football League scout and personnel director for Canyon ISD. He also was an assistant football coach at the University of Texas at El Paso; an instructor and head football coach at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Ariz.; head football coach and government teacher at Douglas High School in Douglas, Ariz.; assistant football coach at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz.; assistant football coach, head track coach and history teacher at Marana High School in Marana, Ariz.; and assistant football coach at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. He was principal at Boys Ranch High School from 1989 to 1993. He had been the principal at Lockhart High School since 1993.

Mr. Sawin had received many awards and honors including Douglas, Arizona's 1975 Jaycees Outstanding Young Educator and the Arizona All-Star Game Coach. As an assistant and head football coach he coached two state championship teams, two state runners-up and one state semifinalist. As a head track coach, he won one state championship. Survivors include his wife, Carol Williams Sawin of Lockhart; two sons, Joe Sawin of Austin and Clint Williams Sawin of West Hollywood, Calif.; a daughter, Kodi Elizabeth Sawin of Austin; and a brother, Dean Sawin of Fort Collins, Colo.