William Sheppeard Glass (August 16, 1935 – December 5, 2021) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for 11 seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

, beginning with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

and finishing his career as a standout with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. He played

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 ...

for the

Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only two private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior to j ...

and was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 1985. Glass lettered three years at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

(1954–56) and was unanimous

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

guard in 1956. He made 154 tackles in 10 games. His pro career covered one year with Saskatchewan in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(1957); then four years with Detroit (1958–61); and seven years with Cleveland (1962–68). Glass followed in his older brother's footsteps onto the football field. He became an All-American football player at Baylor University. Glass lettered three years at Baylor University (1954–56) and was chosen as All-America guard in 1956. He was taken at #12 in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, but signed with the Canadian Football League Saskatchewan Roughriders. After a year in the CFL, he signed with and spent four years with Detroit. He went to Cleveland in 1962 as part of the trade that sent quarterback Jim Ninowski back to Cleveland, along with running back Howard "Hopalong" Cassady. In return, the Lions received quarterback Milt Plum, running back Tom Watkins, and linebacker Dave Lloyd. Glass started for seven years with Cleveland. He became a Pro Bowl defensive end with the Browns, playing a key role in the team's NFL championship in 1964 and Eastern Division championship in 1965. He retired after the 1968 season. Recent research has estimated that Glass had 77.5 sacks during his 94 games with the Browns, which included 16.5 in 1965. Each are team records. Bill Glass published a memoir called ''Get in the Game!'' This book is the life story of "the greatest defensive end of the Cleveland Browns." His book ''Stand Tall and Straight'' (1967, Word Books) written with Stan Mosier and Dr. Leslie E. Moser, advised young men on successful life skills, and went into multiple printings. Glass appeared at churches around the United States to promote the book. Glass spent several off seasons attending Southwestern Seminary. He worked with Rev.

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

, who encouraged Glass toward a life in the ministry. He founde
Bill Glass Ministries
in 1969. Since 1972, his efforts have focused on prison ministries, bringing the gospel to inmates across America. Glass died on December 5, 2021, at the age of 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glass, Bill 1935 births 2021 deaths All-American college football players American football defensive linemen Detroit Lions players People from Texarkana, Texas Players of American football from Texas Cleveland Browns players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Baylor Bears football players Saskatchewan Roughriders players College Football Hall of Fame inductees American Christian religious leaders