Jerry Waugh

Jerry Waugh served seven seasons at the helm of the women[apos]s golf program with many accomplishments and an incredibly successful career at the University of Kansas. Kansas basketball legend Dick Harp once said, [quote]Jerry Waugh is one of the greatest gentlemen in the world of golf and all sports.[quote]

Waugh as Women[apos]s Head CoachWaugh began his career as the women[apos]s head coach in 1993. His accomplishments with individual athletes include coaching Holly Reynolds, holder of every Kansas individual NCAA women[apos]s golf record, to a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Championship. Individually, Waugh has coached 13 academic all-conference selections.

Team successes included the championship title at the 1994 Aztec Invitational in Santee, Calif. Success continued to follow Waugh in 1995 when the team closed out the season prior to the conference championship with five consecutive top-five team finishes.

In 1996, four of five KU players placed in the top-25 en route to finishing runner-up in the Southwest Missouri State Invitational in Springfield, Mo.

In 1997, KU improved to win the SMSU Invitational outright after adding six freshmen to its roster. In the fall of 1997, Waugh led the Jayhawks to a team championship at the Marilynn Smith Invitational in Wichita, Kan. The team posted a final round of 300, a KU all-time low, and added an individual champion as well as placing all five KU players in the top-20.

In spring 1997, the Jayhawk team placed in the top 10 at four of the five tournaments and finished the season with a ninth place finish at the Big 12 Championships.

Waugh as Kansas Student-AthleteWaugh[apos]s success doesn[apos]t begin with the women[apos]s golf team. He has been associated with the University of Kansas for nearly 50 years.

Hailing from Wellington, Kan., Waugh enrolled at KU in the spring of 1947 after serving in the Army paratroopers for 18 months during World War II.

He then became an integral part of shaping the fortunes of Kansas basketball by serving as a standout guard and team captain of the 1950-51 squad in his senior year. The Jayhawks went on to win the NCAA Championship the next year behind Clyde Lovellette.

The [quote]Wellington Sheriff[quote] – a nickname he received for his defensive prowess – was coached by Forrest C. [quote]Phog[quote] Allen, and Waugh credits the legendary coach with giving him many of the values that served as the foundation of his professional career.

Waugh[apos]s Many CareersIn 1956, Waugh returned to his alma mater after coaching and teaching at the high school level in both Emporia and Lawrence. Dick Harp hired him as an assistant basketball coach where Waugh was a part of the memorable triple-overtime loss to North Carolina in the 1957 NCAA Championship game when Wilt Chamberlain was a Jayhawk standout.

Waugh also served as head men[apos]s golf coach from 1958-59. After four years, Waugh left Kansas to pursue other opportunities both professionally and geographically. He spent some time on the west coast, coaching and teaching at both the high school and collegiate levels.

Waugh returned to Kansas once again in 1974 to work as an assistant to athletic director Clyde Walker in the area of Olympic sports. He also worked as a liaison between the athletic department and the university, and he served as the men[apos]s golf coach in 1976.

Four years later, a third career change fell in his lap. Waugh helped develop the Alvamar area in Lawrence, Kan., and played a number of significant roles in the process. He managed the racquet and swim club, handled food and beverage operations, worked with golf operations and served as Senior Vice President of Operations.

In 1979, Waugh became familiar with the amateur golf association by serving on the board of directors for the KAGA. This led to many opportunities for in the world of golf. Besides helping the KAGA gain respect at the national level and serving as its president, in 1990, Waugh helped form the Kansas Golf Foundation. He served on its board of directors and as president of the Board of Trustees. Waugh was also a 10-year member of the United States Golf Association, and he was the tournament chairman of the Kansas Open, held annually at Alvamar, from 1977 to 1995. In 1997, Waugh was named to the Kansas Golf Association Hall of Fame.

Waugh helped develop not only the golf program at the University of Kansas but Kansas athletics as a whole. An accomplished golfer and coach, Waugh played a significant role in the lives of many athletes over the years.

Waugh retired from Kansas in January 1998. Waugh and his wife, Dolores, reside in Lawrence. He has one son, Marc, and two daughters, Carrie and Sarah.