Dennis Vinzant

Dennis Ivan Vinzant (August 23, 1906 – June 22, 1976) was an American football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head basketball coach at East Texas State Teachers College—now known a Texas A&M University–Commerce—from 1936 to 1946 and Midwestern University—now known as Midwestern State University—in Wichita Falls, Texas from 1956 to 1970, compiling a career college basketball coaching record of 351–214. Vinzant was also the head football coach at East Texas State in 1942, tallying a mark of 4–3–1, and the head baseball coach at Tulane University from 1952 to 1954, amassing a record of 37–22–1.

Vinzant attended North Side High School in Fort Worth, Texas, where he played football.[1] He then moved on to Texas Tech University, where he played football as an end. He also lettered in basketball and track before graduating in 1931. He earned a master's degree from East Texas State in 1937.

Vinzant began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Greenville High School in Greenville, Texas under Henry Frnka. He was appointed head coach at Greenville in 1936 when Frnka left to take a job as freshman coach at Vanderbilt University. But Vinzant then left for East Texas State to become head basketball coach and line coach for the football team, succeeding, S. J. "Red" Perry Jr., who had died of a cerebral hemorrhage.[2][3]

In 1946, Vinzant reunited with Frnka, who had been hired as the head football coach at Tulane, when he was he was appointed as chief assistant to Frnka.[4]

Vinzant died of cancer, on June 22, 1976, at hospital in Wichita Falls.[5][6]