Francis Henry Kimbrough (June 24, 1904 â February 4, 1971) was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at HardinâÂÂSimmons University (1935âÂÂ1940), Baylor University (1941âÂÂ1942, 1945âÂÂ1946), and West Texas State University—now West Texas A&M University (1947âÂÂ1957). Kimbrough was also the head basketball coach at HardinâÂÂSimmons from 1936 to 1941, tallying a mark of 29âÂÂ50. He was the brother of Texas A&M star football player John Kimbrough.
Kimbrough began his college coaching career at HardinâÂÂSimmons in 1935. After finishing the 1940 season with a perfect 9âÂÂ0 record, Kimbrough—at age 37—was hired by Baylor, replacing Morley Jennings. With mediocre results in his first three seasons, Kimbrough resigned after Baylor went 1âÂÂ8 in 1946. In the middle of his Baylor tenure, Kimbrough served as the head coach for the North Carolina Pre-Flight School team in 1943 and led the Cloudbusters to an overall record of 2âÂÂ4âÂÂ1. He was immediately hired by West Texas A&M, where he coached the following 11 years. In 1950 his team went 10âÂÂ1, including a Sun Bowl win over Cincinnati. Kimbrough retired in 1957 to become the school's athletic director. Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon, Texas, West Texas A&M's football field, is named in his honor.