By Rhys Baker
Clay Center City Officials and USD 379 Clay County Schools want to rename a street within the Clay Center city limits. The proposed change would rename Prospect Street between Ninth and 12th Streets. The street would be renamed Otto Unruh Drive. USD 379 Communications Coordinator Matt Weller says, “It’s to pay respect, obviously to Otto Unruh and the family. It’s a unique way to honor him and his accomplishments.”
Former CCCHS football coach Otto Unruh’s storied career began in Clay Center in 1944. He was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, coached 22 years in Clay Center, and won three state football titles, with a 126-65 record. His coaching days at Clay Center also included seven regional and two state track titles.
His winning record was against larger school districts such as Salina, Manhattan, McPherson, and Emporia. Clay Center won the championships in 1956, 1957, and 1963. Unruh’s teams in 1950, 1956, and 1957, were undefeated.
Unruh authored a book called “How to Coach Winning Football,” in 1960 after coaching 29 years with a winning percentage of 76%. He is widely credited with inventing the “T-Wing offense.”
