Former Wildcat Kenny McEntyre
Should Help Brigade Defense
by Greg Echlin
FEBRUARY, 2007: Although Arena Football League defensive specialist Kenny McEntyre makes Orlando his full-time home these days, his days in Kansas City with the Brigade this season will almost be like homecoming McEntyre, a veteran of nine AFL seasons, was arguably the Brigade’s biggest off-season acquisition. Nicknamed “The Glove,” the 36-year old McEntyre has established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the AFL.
McEntyre went to training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1996-97 as a cornerback at a time when the Chiefs were solid at the position with Dale Carter and James Hasty. He played with the London Monarchs in the World League, but a career in the National Football League never panned out.
McEntyre spent his junior and senior collegiate seasons at Kansas State after transferring from Cloud Co. (Kan.) Community College. In his two years at CCCC, McEntyre played basketball, not football. He transferred to KSU on a basketball scholarship and walked on in football.
Since CCCC didn’t field a football team, McEntyre took two years off from the sport despite garnering post-season honors as one of the better high school players in the Dallas metroplex. Oddly enough McEntyre played high school football in Plano, Texas, but not basketball.
While at KSU, McEntyre became the first player in Wildcat history to be part of a NCAA basketball tournament team (the1993 team under coach Dana Altman) and a football team that went to a bowl game (the 1993 Copper Bowl).
Kansas City Sports and Fitness reporter Greg Echlin caught up with McEntyre prior to the Brigade’s mini-camp at the end of January.
GE: Football is your profession. Is basketball or football your first love?
KM: Basketball is my first love, but actually golf is in my blood. Football pays the bills, but basketball is obviously my passion.
GE: When you were at K-State, you stated that it was your goal to be the first Kansas State Wildcat to play in the NCAA basketball tournament and in a bowl game. And you achieved that.
KM: That’s exactly right. I think I was the first and the last. I overheard one of the coaches, (former KSU running backs coach) Michael Smith. Me and him are real good friends. I think he told me somebody walked on, played football and basketball, but obviously K-State hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament. He did play both, but he didn’t accomplish what I accomplished as far as going to the NCAAs and to a bowl game. It feels good. I don’t think about it now, but it feels nice to be the only one. But records are meant to be broken, so I wouldn’t be surprised with all the athletes nowadays that we have. I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody did it at K-State. Especially with Bobby Huggins in. The football program did better than it did years before, so it looks promising.
GE: Have you always been a goal-
oriented person?
KM: Actually not, to be honest with you. I really didn’t even set that goal. Somebody had told me that that’s what I did, so I didn’t really think about playing in the NCAA tournament and playing in a bowl game. That wasn’t even a goal of mine. It just happened. Sometimes you set team goals, but I don’t really worry about individual goals. They’ll take care of themselves.
GE: How have you been able to endure so long in the Arena Football League?
KM: It’s the off-season regimen that
I do. I usually take off a month-and-half right after the season, then I’m back at it. Training, running and stuff like that.
I never did really stop, so I’m always
at it.
GE: What’s the difference between going to an Arena Football League camp and an NFL camp?
KM: The format is totally different. In Arena football, obviously it’s inside and our two-a-days are totally different than the NFL. Expectations in the NFL are totally, totally different as far as politics. In the NFL, they pretty much know who’s going to be on their team. You’ve just got bodies thrown around. The only time you have a curveball is when one of the starters or second-teamers get hurt. In Arena football, you just never know. Everybody just works their butt off.
Excitement Building for
Brigade Second Season
Just when March Madness kicks in,
the Brigade hopes to create a sense of madness for their March 4 home opener and starting their second season in
Kansas City.
Under the new television package, it will be the first Arena Football League game to be shown on ABC, so Brigade officials hope to have Kemper Arena filled.
The Brigade plays the Chicago Rush, the defending AFL champions, in the only Sunday morning home game kickoff this season. The game begins
at 11:30 a.m. “Expectations are different,” said
B.J. Cardin, the Brigade communications manager. “The newness has worn off.”
With season ticket sales numbering around 8,000 last season, Cardin said the team would be pleased if it matched that after a 3-13 record, the worst in the National Conference last year.
Heading into February, season tickets according to Cardin hovered around 6,000, but the Brigade should be a much improved team in 2007 with a great deal of turnover. Ticket sales are likely to
really pick this month as the season
opener draws closer.
Since last season, 90 percent of the Brigade’s roster has been overhauled,
In addition, head coach Kevin Porter,
a former Chief, has changed his staff vastly with four new assistant coaches. That’s evidence, according to Cardin,
that the team is hoping to meet the fans’ expectations of fielding a winning team.
McEntyre went to training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1996-97 as a cornerback at a time when the Chiefs were solid at the position with Dale Carter and James Hasty. He played with the London Monarchs in the World League, but a career in the National Football League never panned out. 
