William Jewell College Athletics

Vic Bonuci was a three-sport athlete for the Cardinals from 1953-57 before returning to The Hill as a coach. On the football field, he led the Cardinals to a 26-9-2 record with conference championships in 1953 and 1956. In men’s wrestling he served as a student-coach, going 11-3 over two seasons. Additionally, he earned four varsity letters in baseball. He returned to his alma mater in 1973 as the defensive coordinator under head coach Jim Nelson, where he remained until 1989. During that span, he helped lead Jewell through the most successful era of football in program history, going 108-59-5 with six conference titles and five NAIA national playoff appearances, including a runner-up finish in 1982. He returned to the high school level where he went on to become a Hall of Fame coach in football and wrestling, going 137-44-7 on the gridiron, winning state titles in 1994 and 1996 along with 1974 and 1975 state wrestling championships. For his work as a coach, has also been inducted into the Missouri Football Coaches Association, Missouri High School Wrestling Coaches Association, Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association, Excelsior Springs High School, and Missouri Sports Halls of Fame.