April 30, 2008

Lopers Mourn Loss of Hall of Fame Member

KSC/UNK Student-Athlete, Coach, Professor

      Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney Athletic Department mourns the passing of Dr. Doyle Fyfe, a student-athlete, assistant coach and professor at Kearney State/UNK.

      He passed away early Tuesday (April 29th) morning. Funeral services will start at 10:30 a.m. Friday (May 2nd) at St. Luke's First Episcopal Church in Kearney.

      The David City native, 74, was inducted into the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980 and into the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame in 2001. He also earned the Ed Johnson/Mike Heck Award from the Nebraska Coaches Association in 1988 for contributions to boy’s basketball.

      For the Lopers as an athlete, he earned 12 letters as a member of the basketball, track and football teams from 1951-55. He was the first Kearney State student-athlete to earn 12 varsity letters.

      In 1955, he earned All-American honors in the discus with a fourth place finish at the NAIA national meet. He also was a two-time NCC (Nebraska College Conference) champion in the event as well. On the grid iron, he played offensive tackle and was a center on the basketball team.

      As a Kearney State assistant coach, he was part of a men's basketball staff that saw the team make the NAIA Final Four in 1978 and 1982 and become an annual fixture at the national tournament.          

      Prior to returning to UNK, Fyfe was an accomplished high school basketball coach at Hebron and Pueblo (Colo.) Centennial. Named the 1964 Colorado Coach of the Year, he compiled a 223-50 mark at Centennial and was a part of four state-runners up teams.

      Finally, from 1970-96, he taught in the UNK Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies department.