PROFILE
McKenna ’ s father would give him money to help with mowing for the local church , area cemeteries and neighbors – in addition to nine acres on the family farm .
“ I don ’ t know a man that works harder ,” McKenna said of his father . “ From a very early age , I learned about hard work , about doing a good job , giving my very best effort to anything I did .”
McKenna added that , to this day , he tries to be the hardest-working person out there .
“ I might not be the best sports field manager , or the smartest sports field manager , but , by God , I will outwork you ,” he said .
As a youth , McKenna competed in soccer , football , baseball and wrestling . But as he got older and more involved with farming , he began to phase out of everything except wrestling – a sport that remains near and dear to him .
“ A lot of the characteristics and the things it teaches you as a person I have carried on into my personal life as far as hard work and discipline – because it is an individual sport where you are accountable for your own actions ,” he said . “ I think that has defined a lot of who I have developed into as an individual .”
Throughout high school and into college , McKenna was also involved with Future Farmers of America ( now known as just “ FFA ”), a youth organization that uses agriculture as an avenue to teach leadership , career development and personal growth . During his early college years , McKenna served as a state FFA officer for two years ( one year as secretary and the next as state president ). McKenna credits his work with FFA for much of his development as an individual , and said that he still uses a lot of the skills he developed through FFA .
When it came to college , McKenna knew he wanted to attend Iowa State because he wanted to pursue a career in agriculture . He originally majored in Agricultural Biochemistry , because it was a growing , high-paying field . But three quarters of the way through his freshman year , McKenna realized that he was on the wrong career path , and that he didn ’ t want to work in a
14 SportsField Management | February 2021 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com