William Enlow Amos (July 6, 1898 – April 26, 1987) was an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player and coach. He is considered to be one of the best college football players in

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

history. Amos was born in Graysville, Pennsylvania. He attended The Kiski School and was a veteran of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. As a fullback for Washington & Jefferson for was named to the 1926 College Football All-America Team and the 1927 College Football All-America Team. After graduation, he turned down an offer from

Pete Henry Wilbur Francis "Pete" Henry (October 31, 1897 – February 7, 1952) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. He was a charter inductee into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fam ...

to play for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and a minor league baseball contract. He returned to coach the Washington & Jefferson College football team from 1929 to 1931, amassing a record of 17–8–3. During the 1929 football season, Amos shared the head coach title with Ray Ride, who resigned after the season citing it being impossible to operate under dual authority. From 1937 through 1946, he was a multi-sport coach at Washington High School. He was a driving force in the creation of

PONY Baseball and Softball PONY Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Washington, Pennsylvania. Started in 1951, PONY organizes youth baseball and softball leagues and tournaments, as over 500,000 players annually play PONY in over 4,000 l ...

. He also volunteered at the Brownson House. In 1932, Amos was seriously injured in an automobile collision, sustaining a fractured skull and broken left arm. He married Dora Polan in 1928 and with her had three children. Amos died in 1987 at the age of 88. Dora died the following year.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

* 1898 births 1987 deaths American football fullbacks Grove City Wolverines football coaches Washington & Jefferson Presidents football coaches Washington & Jefferson Presidents football players High school football coaches in Pennsylvania The Kiski School alumni People from Greene County, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania {{1920s-collegefootball-coach-stub