Richard "Bill" Armstrong (July 16, 1873 – August 4, 1938) 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 served as the head football coach at the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...

in 1896, the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

from 1897 to 1899 and the Hampton Institute—now known as

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

—in 1912, compiling a career college football coaching record of 24–8. At the Naval Academy, Armstrong also coached rowing from 1897 to 1899. Armstrong was born on July 16, 1873, at his grandfather's home in Saybrook, Connecticut. His parents, William Nevins Armstrong and Frances Morgan Armstrong, were residents of

Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...

. His uncle,

Samuel C. Armstrong Samuel Chapman Armstrong (January 30, 1839 – May 11, 1893) was an American soldier and general during the American Civil War who later became an educator, particularly of non-whites. The son of missionaries in Hawaii, he rose through the Union A ...

, was an American Civil War general who founded Hampton University. Armstrong attended the Banner School in Hampton and

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

, before moving on to

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

from which he graduated from

Sheffield Scientific School Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, ...

in 1895. Armstrong married Rosa Fairfax Lee in Hampton, on April 21, 1906. He later worked in the oyster growing, farming and real estate professions. In May 1938, Armstrong was treated for a serious illness at

Johns Hopkins Hospital The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million (1873 mo ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He returned to his home in Hampton in June, where he died on August 4, 1938, after suffering a paralytic stroke.

Head coaching record

Football

References

External links

* 1873 births 1938 deaths 19th-century players of American football Hampton Pirates football coaches Navy Midshipmen football coaches Navy Midshipmen rowing coaches William & Mary Tribe football coaches Yale Bulldogs football players Yale Bulldogs rowers Phillips Academy alumni People from Deep River, Connecticut Coaches of American football from Connecticut Players of American football from Connecticut Coaches of American football from Virginia Players of American football from Hampton, Virginia {{1890s-collegefootball-coach-stub