‘I found peace’: WSU’s Billy Kennedy leans on faith to overcome Parkinson’s diagnosis
Wichita State men’s basketball assistant coach Billy Kennedy and his wife, Mary, were recipients of the John Wooden Keys to Life award in a ceremony broadcast this past weekend.
The national award, first presented by Athletes in Action in 1998, honors basketball figures who model the characteristics of the legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach, which according to their website includes outstanding character, integrity and leadership on the court, in the work place, in the home, and in the community.
Past winners include NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson, CBS Sports analyst Clark Kellogg, and most recently college basketball coaches Rick Barnes and John Beilein. This year marks the first time the award has gone to a couple.
“It’s definitely humbling when you get recognized with names like that,” Kennedy told The Eagle in a phone interview. “I’m thankful and I’m blessed because that was such a great honor.”
Kennedy has been an inspirational figure in the college basketball world since 2011 when he was diagnosed with early stages of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 47, just weeks before he was set to begin his dream job as Texas A&M men’s basketball head coach. He went on to coach the Aggies for eight seasons despite the diagnosis, reaching the Sweet 16 in both 2016 and 2018.
His wife, Mary, was instrumental along the way during his time in College Station. In their acceptance speech, which can be viewed on the Athletes in Action website beginning around the 14-minute mark, Mary said it was the couple’s Christian faith that helped them through difficult times.
“Knowing that I’m not in control,” Mary said on the broadcast. “Because when you think you can do it, then you are going to be disappointed. It has been such a sense of peace and such a relief to know that all of the things that have shocked me and surprised me that have come through this life that we’ve done together, God has never been surprised. Not one time has He woke up and said, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that was going to happen.’ He’s had a plan and I’ve been able to stand on that knowledge to know that He is in control and that’s the only way we’ve been able to get through it.”
In his interview with The Eagle, Billy said his faith is what got him through a lot of scary times when he wasn’t sure what was going to happen next with his coaching career. That included when he was first diagnosed, but also when he was let go by Texas A&M. He admitted he wasn’t sure if he was ever going to get another opportunity to coach again.
“Without my faith, I would have had much more of a struggle,” Billy said. “I found peace in knowing that God was in control and not me. It’s scary not knowing what’s next. But then the opportunity in Wichita came and it was such a blessing. I’m so thankful for that. It turns out God had more for me.”
Billy and Mary were still living in College Station when Billy received a text message from one of his former players a week before the start of the 2020-21 college basketball season.
It was from Isaac Brown, whom Billy had helped recruit to College Station as a Texas A&M assistant coach back in 1990 and still mentored now that Brown had become a coach. Brown was dealing with his own whirlwind of events in Wichita, as he had just been named interim head coach following the resignation of long-time coach Gregg Marshall. Brown needed to fill a coaching spot and do it quickly and the first person he thought to call was Kennedy, who had more than two decades of Division I head coach experience.
“It was a no-brainer for me,” Kennedy told The Eagle at the time. “When you’re away from it and you haven’t been around the guys and the staff, you miss it. I’m just blessed to be able to be a part of a team again, especially a great program like Wichita State, and have the opportunity to help somebody that I care about and respect.”
Leaning on Kennedy as a mentor behind the scenes, Brown was able to lead the Shockers to their first American Athletic Conference regular-season championship and a return to the NCAA Tournament this season. The success landed Brown a five-year contract as permanent head coach and Kennedy an invitation to return to WSU’s bench next season, which he gladly accepted.
“Billy is a great guy and I’m honored that he’s a part of our staff,” Brown told The Eagle. “I’m so happy for him that he was able to be recognized with that award. When Billy was diagnosed, I think that came as a shock to a lot of people. But he comes into the office every day and goes to work. Billy is probably in better shape than all of us. He’s out there running two or three miles every day.
“He does a great job for us and not just coaching basketball. Sometimes it’s helping me with certain things about talking to the media. Sometimes it’s about what to talk to the team about. Sometimes it’s about game planning. There’s a lot of different places where his experience helped us in a big way.”
Joining a staff that had worked together for years could have made the transition difficult for Kennedy. Instead, he meshed well with fellow assistant coaches Lou Gudino and Tyson Waterman, player development coach Nick Jones and video coordinator Jeff Chapman.
“The staff did a tremendous job in preparing the team,” Kennedy said. “It was nice to be able to come in and be a part of something where things were already in place. Isaac set a great tone and Lou and Tyson laid a good, strong foundation. I was blessed to be a part of it. I think that’s why we had the success we had was because of those guys were able to do before I even got there. I’m grateful that Isaac has given me an opportunity to return and be a part of a great nucleus and a great foundation and continue to build something special.”
Returning to the sidelines this past season as a WSU coach and finding immediate success only added another impressive chapter to the inspirational story of the 57-year-old Kennedy’s career.
“Coach Wooden would be proud to see how the Kennedy’s have faced the obstacles and stood firm in their faith and embraced the opportunities to impact lives with their story,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes said during the award presentation.
Shortly afterward, former players of Kennedy from his days as head coach at Texas A&M and Murray State popped on the screen to sing the praises of Kennedy and his wife.
“You guys are such a bright light in this world and such an inspiration to everyone around you,” said Chris Collins, a former Texas A&M player.
“Thank you for being who you are,” said Kennesaw State coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, a former Murray State player. “Thank you for being the example of what character and integrity look like every day. Thank you for shaping me into the man that I am today.”
It’s an impact that Kennedy continues to make to this day, currently with WSU players.
He’s still not sure about people calling him an inspirational or motivational figure, but if people take anything away from his story, he knows what he would want it to be.
“With God, all things are possible,” Kennedy said. “Because if I can make it, anybody can.”
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