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Benedictine football coach, NAIA Hall of Famer Larry Wilcox to retire after 2020 season

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After 42 years as the Benedictine College football coach, Larry Wilcox will retire after the 2020 season.

Wilcox, a 2018 NAIA Hall of Fame inductee who is among the winningest college football coaches of all time, informed his staff and players Tuesday of his decision.

The Ravens are 304-153 during Wilcox’s tenure. He ranks 13th among college football coaches at all levels in career wins and is the winningest college football coach in Kansas history.

That includes a 7-1 mark in 2020.

Benedictine, which has reached the NAIA playoffs 14 times under Wilcox, is one win — at noon on Thanksgiving against rival Baker University on O’Malley Field at Larry Wilcox Stadium in Atchison — from another NAIA postseason berth.

On his watch, the Ravens reached the NAIA championship game in 2018, won eight Heart of America Athletic Conference championships and finished in the final NAIA rankings 15 times.

Benedictine, which also reached the NAIA semifinals in 1992 and 2001, has finished in the top 25 each of the last nine seasons.

Wilcox also led the Ravens to a berth in the fifth and final Sunflower Bowl — a defunct NAIA postseason game played, which was played in Winfield, Kansas, from 1982-86.

Wilcox also served as the Ravens athletic director for 24 years and coached the baseball team for six seasons, the softball team for two and the golf team for four years.