Willone Eubanks

Middle Guard (1970-1971)

After graduating early from high school, Willone Eugene Eubanks came to Coffeyville Junior College midterm, in January 1970, from Wichita Heights High School where he played defensive tackle.  Other sports he participated in high school included gymnastics where Eubanks was a three-time letterman (hard to believe, but true).  A football standout in both his freshman and sophomore years at Coffeyville, Eubanks earned All-American honors his sophomore year along with his roommate, John Tuttle, who was also an All-American. 

Eubanks was a two year starter for Coffeyville and led the team's linemen in individual tackles with 165.  Also during this time, he recovered eight opponents’ fumbles including one fumble recovery for a touchdown.  His best single game in his Coffeyville tenure was against the defending national champion Fort Scott Greyhounds during his sophomore season when he registered 15 tackles, recovered one fumble and tackled the opponent’s kicker in the end zone for a safety.

After being recruited by several major colleges, he decided on Kansas State University where he played for Coach Vince Gibson.  The Big 8 Conference at the time was the best and strongest conference in the nation.  Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado were teams in the Big 8, and were number one, two, and three in the national rankings during Eubanks’ senior year.  

Several members of his KSU team went on to have very successful professional football careers. Henry Childs, Don Calhoun, Steve Grogan, and others just to name a few.  Eubanks also played against some of the best college players in the country, including the Heisman Trophy winner from Nebraska, Johnny Rodgers.

Eubanks graduated with a degree in Construction Science from the School of Engineering at Kansas State in 1975, and landed his first job as Executive Director with the Minority Contractors Association in Topeka.  While in Topeka, Eubanks acquired a real estate license and started providing real estate development and consulting services, eventually founding a construction company and moving his business to Kansas City.  

Currently living in Lawrence, KS, where he raised his family, he continues development consulting services and is a business development director for his family's two construction companies.   Eubanks has also worked for FEMA during federally declared disasters.  One of his favorite hurricane disaster assignments was working a year long stint in New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina.

Eubanks is a member of Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church in Lawrence, is very active helping youth through his fraternity Omega Psi Phi, and he is also a Mason.