Richard Dean Pryor (November 22, 1930 â March 4, 2019) was an American football player and coach, track coach, decathlete, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska from 1964 to 1966 and South Dakota State University from 1970 to 1971, comping a career college football head coaching record of 18âÂÂ28âÂÂ1. Prior was also the head football coach at Coffeyville Junior CollegeâÂÂnow known as Coffeyville Community CollegeâÂÂin Coffeyville, Kansas from 1960 to 1961 and the school's head track coach from 1957 to 1961.
Pryor played high school football Fredonia High School in Fredonia, Kansas and college football at the University of Arkansas from 1950 to 1952. As a senior, he was co-captain of 1952 Arkansas Razorbacks football team. In 1952, he participated in the United States Olympic Trials in the decathlon, finishing in eighth place.
As head football coach at Coffeyville, Pryor lead his team to records of 6âÂÂ5 in 1960 and 9âÂÂ2 in 1961. He left Coffeyville in 1962 to become backfield coach at the Municipal University of WichitaâÂÂnow known as Wichita State UniversityâÂÂunder head football coach Marcelino Huerta.