Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics

Richard Kemp was a brilliant all-around football player for Lenoir-Rhyne and has gone on to compile a fine record as a coach.  Kemp earned NAIA All-American honors in both 1961 and '62.  He was the Carolinas Confernce Most Valuable Player in '61, leading the league in rushing, total offense and scoring that year, and then the following season won the loop's Kirkland Blocking Trophy.  He also punted for the Bears for four seasons and scored a whopping 234 points during his career.  During the careers of Kemp and former teammate Odell White, the Bears posted a 40-3-2 football mark and two of those losses came in NAIA National Championship games.  Since graduation, Kemp has made his mark in coaching.  He was North Carolina High School Coach of the Year in 1974 and won three state championships, including two at Ragsdale in 1973 and 1974.  In 12 years as a high school head coach, he has posted a 102-34-3 record, coaching at East Davidson, Pasquotank, Northeastern, Ragsdale, Manteo and currently at Southeast Guilford High School.  He has also been an assistant coach at both North Carolina State and Duke Universities.