Raymond "Ray" Lumpp
Athletic Director/Coach (1968-1986)
Waubonsee Athletic Director from 1974 to 1984
Men's Basketball Coach
Led Chiefs to four Skyway Conference basketball titles, reaching the Illinois Region IV Finals in 1977
Finished Waubonsee career with 75 percent winning percentage
From Waubonsee Community College’s founding, Ray Lumpp was an integral part the college and its athletic program. Beginning in 1968, Lumpp was the school’s first physical education instructor and took over as men’s basketball coach, directing the program until 1980.
Lumpp led the Waubonsee Chiefs men’s basketball team to four Skyway Conference Championships (1971, 1974, 1977 and 1978). His 1977 team earned a trip to the Illinois Region IV Finals, at a time when all Illinois community colleges were in one division. Coach Lumpp came back to guide the Chiefs for just the 1984-85 season, leading the team to a second-place finish in the Skyway Conference. It was the fifth runner-up finish for Waubonsee under Lumpp’s leadership, meaning his Chiefs were either first or second in the Skyway nine of the 11 seasons he guided them in league play. His teams won 75 percent of their Skyway contests, going 101-34 overall with just one sub-.500 season, never finishing lower than fourth.
Lumpp took over as athletic director from Bill Prince in 1974 and held that position until his retirement in 1986. He also served as the Region IV Wrestling Chairman, while Waubonsee hosted the NJCAA Region IV Wrestling Championships for 11 years. In addition, Lumpp served as an Assistant Director for the entire Region IV.
Even after retirement, Lumpp remained active with the Region IV by serving as the officiating assignor for a variety of sports, and in the same capacity for the Skyway Conference and the Region IV basketball tournament. Over the years Lumpp has also officiated countless baseball and basketball games from the junior high school through collegiate level.
Lumpp earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Illinois University, where he was a Leathernecks basketball player. He began his coaching and teaching career at Avon High School in 1956, then moved on to Davenport, Iowa, where he was an assistant coach from 1957 through 1965. In 1963 Lumpp earned another master’s degree from the University of Missouri. Lumpp became the head coach at Richards High School in 1965 before coming to Waubonsee in 1967. After retiring Lumpp moved to Knoxville, Tennessee where he lived for many years before passing away on May 14, 2019, at the age of 89.
