Bill Glassford obit

Former NU coach Glassford dies at 102

 He was not on the list.

Glassford, James William (Bill)

Former Nebraska Head Football Coach William "Bill" Glassford, America's oldest living professional football player, died early Monday morning (September 19, 2016) at age 102 in Scottsdale, AZ. He is survived by his only son Gary Glassford and granddaughter Natalie Anne Glassford. Last October, Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst named Glassford, Nebraska's head football coach from 1949 to 1955, an honorary varsity letter. Glassford thanked Eichorst for creating a "special day in my life" when Husker Development Officer Mike Dobbs presented him a plaque that was delivered personally to his home in Phoenix. "It's a very special honor that I am very proud to display," said Glassford, who began his college coaching career at the University of New Hampshire. During his college playing days, Glassford was an All-American and captain for a University of Pittsburgh team that defeated Washington in the 1937 Rose Bowl. Glassford led the 1950 Huskers to a No. 17 final national ranking, which was Nebraska's first top 20 ranking since the 1941 Rose Bowl team. The highlight of Glassford's seven-year stint as the Huskers' head coach was leading Nebraska to its first-ever Orange Bowl appearance in 1954. Glassford also coached three All-Americans at Nebraska and coached the first night game in Nebraska history vs. Miami in Florida. In 2002, Glassford was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame. In his seven years at Nebraska (1949 to 1955), he compiled a 31-35-3 record. Glassford retired after the 1955 season and went into private business in Arizona. Prior to Nebraska, Glassford coached at New Hampshire, from 1946 to 1948, where he compiled a 19-5-1 record. "What is really important to me are the people of Nebraska - the players that I had the opportunity to work with and the University coaches and staff," Glassford said. "I hold those memories close to my heart." Last October, in a heartfelt thank you to Nebraska, Glassford wrote this message: "With the twilight of my life approaching, the sounds of the crowd, the singing of the Cornhusker Fight Song, the sights of the stadium with freshly mowed grass and lined field, and the Huskers rushing on to the field for another hard-fought struggle coming, still gives me the adrenalin rush. To you, the people of Nebraska, and to the N-Club, thank you. Respectfully, Bill Glassford." Having played for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1937, Glassford was officially the oldest living professional football player in America. Before Glassford's arrival in Lincoln, Nebraska had six different head football coaches in the previous nine years. "The momentum created from the teams Bill coached eventually helped develop the fan base that has sold out 350 consecutive Nebraska home football game since 1962," Eichorst said. "Bill made a positive impact on the lives of countless Husker student-athletes, and we mourn his passing." Bill Glassford served in the United States Navy during World War II. He attended the University of Pittsburgh where he played football and graduated in 1936. Glassford was a former pro-football player for the 1937 Cincinnati Bengals (AFL II).

 From 1938 through 1942, Glassford coached football at three different colleges. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy.

From 1946 to 1948, Glassford was head football coach at the University of New Hampshire, where he compiled a 19–5–1 record, including an 8–1 record in 1947 for the Wildcats. From 1949 to 1955, he was head coach for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he compiled a 31–35–3 record. His three winning seasons there (1950, 1952, and 1954) were the only winning seasons the program had between 1941 and 1961. In 1955, he led the Cornhuskers to their first-ever Orange Bowl, where they lost to Duke, 34–7. Glassford coached three All-Americans in Tom Novak (1949), Bobby Reynolds (1950), and Jerry Minnick (1952).

Biographical details

Born    March 8, 1914

Lancaster, Ohio, U.S.

Died    September 19, 2016 (aged 102)

Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.

Alma mater     University of Pittsburgh (1936)

Playing career

1934–1936      Pittsburgh

1937    Cincinnati Bengals (AFL II)

Positions          Fullback, guard

Coaching career (HC unless noted)

1938[1]–1939  Manhattan (assistant)

1940–1941      Carnegie Tech (assistant)

1942    Yale (line)

1945    Miami NAS

1946–1948      New Hampshire

1949–1955      Nebraska