Kenny Ray is in his fourth season as Assistant Head Coach at Gardner-Webb, and will coach the team’s offensive line again in 2016. Ray welcomes back his most experienced group, with four returning starters up front combining for 57 starts. He has worked hard over the past three seasons to build chemistry and depth in the trenches.
Ray’s group cleared a path for a much improved rushing attack in 2015, which helped Tyrell Maxwell set a new school record for quarterback rushing yardage in a season. GWU also cut down a considerable amount on its sacks allowed total from the previous season – an improvement of more than 60 percent.
In his first season with the program, Ray helped the Runnin’ Bulldogs produce only the third 1,000-yard rusher since 2000 and saw his line play a key role in Kenny Cook becoming the first 1,000-yard receiver at GWU since 1992. With Lucas Beatty topping 2,000 yards through the air, Gardner-Webb is one of only five programs entering 2014 with a 2,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver returning.
A former college center himself at Southern Miss, Ray joined the GWU family after one season at North Greenville (S.C.) University, where he served as Offensive Coordinator in 2012. While there, Ray helped mold the Crusaders into a successful group by season’s end with five wins over the last six games – and four wins in a row to close out the campaign. The Crusaders knocked off a quartet of South Atlantic Conference programs in Wingate, Newberry, Brevard and Catawba.
Prior to his time in Tigerville, S.C., Ray coached the 2011 season at FCS member Tennessee State, mentoring the Tigers’ offensive tackles and tight ends. Tennessee State won four more league games in the OVC than the previous season, and ranked in the top-35 nationally in four major offensive categories as a team.
During his time as a college coach, Ray has heavy Division I FCS experience with 12 seasons combined at Division I FCS programs at Tennessee State, Howard, Alabama State, North Carolina A&T and Samford. He also coached in the Football Bowl Subdivision ranks from 1999-2003 at Louisiana-Monroe.
Ray spent time as Offensive Coordinator at North Carolina A&T and his line cleared a path for running back Michael Ferguson to finish his career with 2,524 yards and 27 touchdowns – including a 1,000-yard season in 2007. Ferguson finished his career as the sixth-leading rusher in school history.
Ray’s first taste of coordinator duties came at NAIA Graceland in Iowa, where he served from 2004-2006. During his time calling plays for the Yellow Jackets the team posted a 17-5 overall record and made the NAIA Playoffs in 2005. The program’s 2005 Heartland of America Athletic Conference title was its first since 1975, and the playoff appearance was the first in school history on the gridiron. Offensive lineman Rufus Williams earned second-team NAIA All-America honors in 2005 – while quarterback Clayton Braddock and receiver Anthony Ferguson earned honorable mention All-America honors.
Williams, Braddock and Ferguson led a group of seven All-Conference selections for the Yellow Jacket offense in 2005. The Yellow Jackets averaged a healthy 430.3 yards of total offense per game to rank No. 8 nationally and ranked in the top-10 nationally in fewest sacks allowed (0.8 per game), pass efficiency (146.20 rating) and third down conversions (44.3 percent).
Graceland also excelled offensively in 2004, ranking No. 2 nationally with 456.4 yards per game and No. 9 with 32.9 points per contest. Ray started his coaching career at Samford, where he coached tight ends on the same staff that featured current Gardner-Webb head coach Carroll McCray.
As a player, Ray was a letterwinner from 1992-1994 at Southern Miss, where he helped the Golden Eagles to a pair of winning seasons. Southern Miss defeated LSU, 20-18, on the road in Ray’s final college game in 1994.
During his time at Southern Miss, Ray was a teammate of NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre. Ray graduated from the Hattiesburg, Miss., school with a degree in business administration in 1995.
He and is wife, Dr. Kashanda Ray, have two sons – Keenan and Kendall. Ray is a native of Birmingham, Ala., and is the son of a high school coach.
